If special occasion - then the meal surely from $20.

Because I cant cook, I spent quite a lot in meal but I tried to cut down the cost. Lunch time I will pack 2-3 sushi rolls (around $4.5-$5.5) and night time will either make pasta on my own or buy those Japanese (Hanaichi) bento stuff (around $7-$9 each meal).

I do spend $ for coffee. $4 each cup. Buying "drinks" after meal has became my "habit" when I started working in Sg back then. Last time in Sg I can buy mr.teh Tarik/old tea hut/huggs/fun toast/ya kun near my working place - $2 each cup. Aus colleagues here have been advising me to "make" my own drinks at pantry instead of buying, but yes - I hardly change the habit of "buying drinks after meal". T.T. I Spend on average $35 for coffee a week. My Malaysian gf (who loves to convert my spending to RM), said for the amount of $ that I spent for coffee a week here, she can have 50 cups of kopi peng in Msia. Haha.

I spend on average A$18 for meal a day (exclude those special gathering with friends/bosses/clients). People have been saying cooking might be cheaper but for me, I don't think so. For eg when I make pasta, I spend $2 for spaghetti, $6+ for ingredients, $4+ for sauces etc for 4 servings (on average $3 per serving BUT I have to eat the same thing 4 days consecutively/alternate day within a week). Time spent on cooking + cleaning. Looking back, if I were to eat sushi rolls everyday, I could have just incurred extra $2 per meal only (but I gained satisfaction for eating variety of foods + save time for cooking + cleaning).

You can even start work at 7am and end at 3pm. My clients always like this. Very calculative one, wont work beyond the required working hour. My company doesn't have such flexibilities. But if I were assigned to serve this type of client, I will need to start work at 7am, and end work at 6pm (follow company working hours). As said, in order to reach at 7am, I got to wake up at 5am. Even if I go off at 6pm, I usually reach home about 7.30pm (by that time already "half death", no mood to cook, no much option for eating outside). It seems like my working hour is not shorter than I was in SG. T.T This is for sharing based on my personal experience only. I dont think this applies to most industries in Australia. If someone were to ask me if I regret to come over, I would say no. Lifetime experience.

This post has been edited by z21j: Nov 3 2016, 09:35 PM

Thanks Namesis for your advice. I will keep my PR for sure. Cause at this moment, I really dont know where I want to settle down on the long term basis. I'm in accounting & finance industry, a full member of ICAA, CPA Australia and ISCA plus my relevant working experience in Aus. With these, I'm quite confident that if I want to come back Aus some days in future I will still be able to do so. Yes, networking is crucial too. I will continue to keep in touch with the people from my firm/HR. Surprisingly, my boss is quite supportive and asked if I need help for inter-firm transfer back to SG office.

Yes 26 but turning 27 soon. Dont mention about "achievement". Nth to be proud of. I've made several mistakes in my career choice but I have to accept them with open mindset. When I bought the property @ Southbank here I thought I got a good deal. "Paid" 50% to the trustor and I cant imagine that I decide to leave the country even before I witness the completion of construction. This southbank property would be my "liability" at least for the next 10 yrs. But I know Southbank is a hotspot for expat and hopefully I can target the expat for rental.

This post has been edited by z21j: Nov 3 2016, 09:54 PM

but cooking for 1 person is some times... i don't know... waste of time maybe, cos like you said, you eat the same thing for days and its unhealthy... but i'll most probably be cooking since i have a savings goal

if convert then every time also heart ache... for the same amount in RM35 (without conversion), you get less than 3 cups of cappuccino... and i only buy coffee on weekends with my wife when we go out cos we need a place to sit while feeding the baby... eventually we cut that habit also cos 2 cups of coffee and a slice of cake costs around RM40-50, plus we put on some weight doing that every weekend for more than 6 months
after that we started buying 250gm bag of coffee beans and make our own for breakfast everyday, hand grinder + aeropress is still pretty affordable
1 bag can last about a week plus, 2 cups every day... might do the same when i'm in Aussie

at least you tried bro

again, thanks a bunch for your informational post

Eh...must learn short cuts la. Still v possible to have a variety of fresh, healthy meals with a low cost. Some planning, Googling and imagination. A stir fry with chicken breast and lots of veg for $2.50 a serve, ready in 10 mins????

U cannot convert la. I know of ppl who still manage to have fun on the weekend without spending a bomb.
1. Have breakfast at home.
2. Pack sandwiches, fried meehoon, drinks.
3. Go picnic.
4. Maybe splurge on 2 coffees and piece of cake (AUD15) or if cheapskate, 7-11 kopi at AUD1 per cup.
5. Balik rumah dinner.''

Damm lucky or what. Similar situation with me. Got made redundant. Called up ex-customer to ask if can use as reference. Got invited for kopi. Got offered a position on the spot.

Goes to show, forget qualifications, how good u r, good resume on Seek, it's who you know...

I humbly disagree.

You still need to be capable and competent in doing your job. I've had people who meet all but this criteria and was promptly forced out. Worst, you will get a bad reputation in the industry as a muppet who can only talk a good game.

since i'll be alone for a while, i should have some time after work to try out new recipes...
then i can cook for my wife and boy when they come and visit me later on

maybe makes sense also, never had a picnic before in KL, weather doesn't permit

but even in KL, eating out every weekend cost a bomb... the other day went and tried some pork noodles... it was a blardy RM30/bowl
ok la, worth trying cos they really treated the pork well, totally don't have that pork odour at all, but not going any time soon, RM20 maybe la, but RM30

darn lucky i'd say... cos i totally have no background in Aussie...
the short interview went very well... i briefly introduced myself and what i am doing, i asked them about their company, etc etc
it was very casual, are interviews usually conducted that way?

but i'd really need to thank my friend for that, without him, i wouldn't be able to skip so much hassle

Heaps of job back home. Just the matter where are you gonna settle down. Probably wait until you're at our age/stage, decide later. Anyway, good luck!

Need some opinions here.

Will it be better to go for 189 (Independent) or 190 (state sponsored)? According to the agent, I just have 65 point whereby the minimum is 60.
To go for independent pr, the approval period will be longer (6-8) months while state sponsored is half that period.
I also noticed that there is an option for state sponsored to opt in for employer contact. Is this really effective to secure a job?
I am not in a hurry to go over immediately.

Additional info:
I am from IT industry, more towards software developement on .NET.
I have 2 kids (3yo and 10months) so I would prefer to be able to secure a job before actually goin there.
how feasible will it be?

if you have enough points, why go for 190? basically lower points just means longer wait, and 65 points is definitely gets selected faster than 60 points

frankly, securing a job before going depends very much on how you look for a job... its not impossible...

Is there such a thing as application getting rejected even though point requirement is met, no criminal record and clean slate of health?
that is what i worry.

add on: also, 6-8 months mean it may hit july 2017, and i read they change the rules every july.

This post has been edited by crazy25kid: Nov 4 2016, 02:47 PM

by right no, but even if they do reject for odd cases, they'll need to refund your visa payment... that's what i read

they'll refresh the quota every July and might change some rules, how this will affect you should depend on what stage of the application you are in

your agent wanna rip you off my friend.
i'll tell you my story. I have the same situation as yours. my agent keep on asking me to go by 176 (those days,replaced by 190) which i need to pay additional RM1000 for them to get me sponsorship. I already got 65 points dy to hv 175 (replaced by 189). I told him i'll go by 175 but they gave me shitty reason saying easy to find job and nonsense. What's the difference when i hv 175 that can work any state i want rather than just one state?

the best is 189. 190 is when u got not enuf point then go for that option. ask ur agent dun play2 ar.....many sifu here.

Hi nemesis, I'm 190 holder, Vic state sponsored. But according to my agent, Im not restricted to work in Vic only, but first time activation of visa, yes must land in Vic.

Yes, if u have enough point, no need opt for 190.

R you sure that you must have activate your visa at VIc if you are sponsor by Vic? I heard that you may activate your visa in any state if you are state sponsor. Ideally you are to stay at your sponsored state for 2 years but I heard many ppl move out from their sponsor state if they manage to get jobs in other states

YOu are correct. I've a 190 sponsored by SA. I did my first landing in WA. No issues. Also SA is more lax about their State Sponsorships. No need to sign anything (unlike WA) to say you'll stay in SA upon permanent relocation.

As my agent said ' A moral obligation', but exceptions can be made.

Experience tells me that as long as your points are legitimate when applying for the visa and passed all the medicals, there shouldn't be issues with the visa. Obviously government wants to bring in more migrants to help fund the economy (e.g. rent, food..)

When I applied 189 with 65 points, I was invited within 2 months and got my visa within 4 months without any agent. 65 points really have that advantage compared to 60 points which some of my friends are still waiting.

That was what my agent told me and I did the same as per his advice.