Had a few friends who take glee in trolling and doing things like creating alternate/dupe accounts is merely one of the many tools. People do all sorts of things for fun or attention, which are why some of these forumers react/behave this way. They've probably experienced it multiple times.
I can understand where they come from as I can be equally as cynical or distrustful (especially online where it's easy to hide behind a screen name). The above is the reason why I'm quite reluctant to join in some conversations unless they're serious or interesting enough.
You'll be able to find like-minded people and have a good conversation, but trolls will be everywhere - why waste your time trying to convince them?

Driving in KL is pretty stressful - try to time your driving when it's not peak hours and you should be alright. Let others overtake if they want to and just avoid the troublemakers as it'll be mostly a waste of time engaging with them. Gotta limit your generosity while driving or other drivers will take advantage of it. Gotta think it's as if you're driving in the Punchbowl/Bankstown.
Spend another year or two and it'll be fine - you'll be back in your element in no time. Just be more mindful of petty crime as it will not be going away (in my opinion, never going away). Take the Bankstown approach to things: don't keep valuables in car and always lock it either in/outside. Always keep an eye out for bikes with 2 male riders and pick pockets.
Motorcyclist are always right in accidents and always hide the handbag (especially the ones your wife likes). Makes me miss KL a lot less whenever I think about all my old encounters. My mum always locks the car doors immediately after dropping me off since childhood and I've been making fun of her ever since.. but that's the mentality we practice when living in KL.

Stay safe and Happy New Year all!

Hi all,

Happy CNY to all those celebrating and happy holidays to those who are enjoying it. Hope everyone will have a great 2022 ahead!

Sure thing! Lemme know when you're back - it'll be my treat this round. No rush either, can take things slow and easy. Just visit Sydney for a holiday and meet up with friends/people you know instead of moving back here if you guys prefer retiring in Msia.

I'm also pretty busy since my first kid arrived at the start of the month. It's been a lack of sleep since then - so glad to get support from my mother or else I think it'll be so much tougher. The confinement lady here charges so much...

Not ideal, but a colleague had the grandparents take care of his kid for a few years while they migrated to Sydney (somewhere in China) and things seemed to work out alright for them.
The kid came over and then they had the 2nd one here - he's probably a high income earner so it's alright for him now.

One a side not, has anyone been able to successfully put through a passport renewal for this website?: Link
Both wife and myself would've attempted to upload our bloody pictures over a few hundred times (I personally attempted at least close to 200) and it's chipping away at my sanity.
We've used photos we took ourselves, actual passport photos, photos from apps, etc. and we're mainly getting the 'failed to validate image' & we have to re-upload the picture for validation/checks again.

Yeah the kid practically consumes almost all of our free time, would've been a crazy first few months without support - so thankful for the help and it's gonna be rough again when she leaves next month.
Good to hear all's alright for you back in Msia, it's raining so much here you probably would think twice about swimming with the weather like this.

We do have the public healthcare system but I think it's not able to sustain itself with how things are run. My grandma's appointments with the Sg. Buloh eye specialist at 8am had a 4 hr delay - which happened twice.
The did a good job with her glaucoma operation though (this was about a decade ago) though I was not aware of the cost for the whole thing. However I think if it's an emergency they may not be able to handle it as well as a private hospital which I reckon would still be similar to Aus.
You would need private healthcare to bump up case/operation in line if they do not deem it important or critical enough. That being said, the Msian counterparts are probably way more overworked with how the contract doctors are retaliating against the system.
Best would be to stay healthy and avoid needing to be hospitalised. Stay safe!


Thanks for the feedback on this - was really hoping this would work and we wouldn't need to travel to Melb. We've booked for renewal in early April but it's hard to travel with an infant. Never understood why they can't have it in Sydney/Brisbane when there are offices present already.
I suppose it would take a long time for them to get it off the ground as well seeing as how this online renewal system is working right at launch.

You can use sites like these to find more options: https://www.finder.com.au/best-sim-only-plans
There's felix in there, $17.50 for unlimited data up to 20mbps - but after 3 months the price will be double. Still quite worth it I think if it's decent.

I've only tried a few like Optus, Belong and Dodo so I don't have too much experience with the others as I'm probably a heavy user, and mobile data won't suffice (except that unlimited, still a lil slow on DL speed for me).
Also depends on the connection quality where you're staying, no point having unlimited data if you can't even get 4G.

Good to know, so far my experience with Optus has been pretty good - I usually try the ones with the free calls back to Msia as the data calls back home on the mobile has a fairly bad lag/delay.

Could you please recommend some cheap parking spots close to Haymarket? Thinking of taking my mother for a visit but not sure which spots have cheaper whole/half day parking as I usually just drive past the city centre.

Thanks! I found the carpark you mentioned: Secure Parking - Goulburn Street Car Park. We'll probably go for a few hours, maybe 3-4 hours so that parking will be just right. On the plus side it's not a basement parking in-case rain hits again.

Weather is looking better nowadays - more sun than rain, but we're expecting another wave major rain so it's gonna be gloomy for a while.

My 2 month old had a vomiting spree recently and the helpline we called told us to go to the children's emergency - which we picked Children's Hospital at Westmead emergency centre. Reached at midnight and only one parent could go in, so I was mostly roaming around until I got booted out to car as was told there was a 5 hour wait time.

Wife was told there were only 2 docs on the shift and was finally called in at 6am. The doctor only came into see her and kiddo at 8am where she was told the there was 1 doc at 6am as it was the end of the 2nd doc's shift. Kiddo was diagnosed with mild bronchiolitis and then sent home without any meds. Wife, kiddo and myself caught a cold (suspected from another patient) from the ordeal. The conclusion is to go in the morning for emergencies unless your child is in a critical condition and can skip the queue.

I've experienced the Malaysian public hospital and it's pretty similar. I remember waiting 6 hours for my grandma's appointment with the eye doc at the Sg. Buloh hospital. Same thing happened again during the 2nd visit - I'm sure they were short staffed back then & things may have changed.
GP visits are pretty costly in Msia unless you have a medical card (which is the same for tourist here). Overall I think I prefer the overall Aus system to Msia's, though it's a shame about the long wait unless it's dire.


Yeah, I like the bulk billed system, and even better that the gov can be replaced once they're corrupt, unlike the eternal system in Msia and the perpetual corruption.

I got my 190 visa via an agent and they cost a lot - it's probably gonna be real tough to get one of those now, maybe 60-80 points+ depending on job.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe the working visa can be obtained if a company sponsors you, which means they need to justify hiring you over a local in Aus for the job; probably for a very specific skillset.
Could be wrong though and someone can give you a better overview on this.

If you're talking about going through agent to get the 189, 190 or 491 visas - I think it's okay if you have money to spare and no free time. Otherwise it's tedious work but you can save yourself a fair bit of money if you apply yourself, provided you understand what's required. They will also know the process like the back of their hand if you pick the right agent - otherwise you'll just be throwing money down the drain. For myself I was really busy with work and didn't know anything back then and needed to ensure my wife could get the visa too. So I'll say it depends on your situation and free time to research for yourself.

Otherwise if you're talking about going through agent to apply for a job here - it might be easier if you company allows internal transfer to Aus, like two people I know did. They applied to move to Aus and got the roles & then applied for PR here.

If I was making money like that I'd probably not consider migrating - unless you're looking to get out of Msia. I think it would only be worth it if you were looking to move (you & family?) to Aus and/or already planning to migrate from the get go. Also you did not mention where the role is, as that will play a fairly big part - living in certain cities will be a lot more affordable than others. In Sydney you'll probably struggle to buy a property for a family with a single income unless it's a smaller unit. If you're single then it's probably good money depending on your lifestyle.

Yeah, that's the reality for those who aren't in the boomer generation (or at least the property owners).
Sounds like your friend made it through the tough time with your help and is now reaping the rewards, haha. Good for him, and all those who could help him out.

Hopefully the new government can achieve their promises and push things in a better direction compared to their previous one that seems to be rife with corruption.

I think that's fine as long as you can easily command the same income (or more) once you're back in Msia. Sounds great to retire at 40-ish though, lol - it's great that it's viable for you. If your goal is to save money, then wouldn't it be better to continue your current job in Msia with their lower taxes? If you push to save more than 50% in Msia it's probably double of what you can save in Aus. If you've saved up enough to retire anyway then you can always chase after your dream. Being single definitely gives you that option, and if you ever change your mind you could take up a PR.

I'm not sure if working in a corporate environment in Aus is fun, but I suppose you can travel the country while you're here. It can be a very different environment/culture - highly dependent on the company. Also I believe it'll be hard to change jobs as you will need to find another company to sponsor that visa - but with your skills/credentials it won't be too tough. It's also good the company provided you the flexibility to pick where you want to stay - at least you can choose a place that fits your criteria. I heard there's a lot more Msians in Perth and Melbourne.

In the end I think it's picking between the novelty of working abroad versus the 'mundane' life back home. If I had a nest egg prepared and things are stable even without my presence, I'd pick working in Aus. Good luck with your decision making!

Damn, 130k is a lot of money, that's like top 85 percentile in Au. I'm pretty envious, but it's good for ya. On that note, I think it's probably a lot tougher for someone who's never worked in Australia to get a really high offer (except those from certain countries, like SG) as most likely the employer will probably say something akin to 'no local experience'. Hopefully others who come here won't have to go through the same things I did, having to restart the career.

Also, working in Msia is pretty tough - long work hours coupled with bad work culture (also present in Au) + horrible traffic or public transport is just a no go for me. If one has to go through this, might as well work in Sg and get paid in SGD. Working in SG also probably affords one better career opportunity and growth too. The Msian brain drain won't be stopping anytime soon while the top dogs are only looking to enrich themselves. I'm predicting that things will get a lot worse for minorities and non-elites once the gov is out of money.

Unfortunately that's how it is - hence why the exodus has been going on for a long time and my uncle has foreseen this when he left for the UK decades ago. I've been seeing a lot more people ask my wife on how we migrated to Aus. Chances are it's gonna be extra hard for them now given the difficulty in getting a PR.
In Aus there's Pauline Hanson, which is a symbol for the anti-immigrantion and back home we have may of the ministers which would give her a run for her money. When I hear western countries complain about systemic discrimination, I think they have no inkling of what it's truly like where the gov implements laws that discriminate against the minority instead of boosting them up.

Public education is failing the children and lots of parents tend to put their kids in chinese or private schools (our ministers are the best at placing their kids in renowed private schools). Unis have racial quotas instead of a merit based system. Government interferes into successful business wanting a stake of the pie by owning 51% of the company to earn their profits but not lifting a finger. These are only a few of the many gov mismanagement - there's bound to be a lot more stories. I think it's good you're retaining your Aussie PR.

I agree with ya - it's definitely a downgrade and I said as much in my earlier reply stating that it's better to stay in Msia when one makes that level of income. I suppose he could negotiate or maybe apply for more roles in Au from Msia. Maybe then the respective companies are happy to give him the 'fair' salary, which at that level does sounds feasible given the current job climate. I'm saying this based on how so many programmer type jobs are getting 100k++ requiring like only 3 years exp. Made me regret a little giving up on programming.

Honestly it's great that you could progress your career still once you've moved from Msia, as the stories I hear from many migrants are similar to myself: having to restart over from scratch. I could not even get a basic programmer role when I first came over and only managed to get a data entry casual role after 6 months. We were running low on funds to sustain ourselves until my wife landed a casual role first. Given the circumstances, my career wasn't exactly at the top of my priority list. On the plus side, the salary would be a nice boost once(if/when) I land a new role in this job market.

No loss for you since you currently have a great paying role. If you still wanna chase your dream to work overseas then you could try applying for similar roles on seek or linkedin and try to negotiate for a better pay.

I don't think so, quite a few on this thread were/are doing pretty well, Gary, Disco, to name a few I recall. I'm doing averagely well at the low 70s.

A few schoolmates who moved to Sydney are successful too, as I believe they're making more than me. Some other friends are making good money and their families too.
These are success stories I suppose and I've a limited circle of friends/contacts compared to other more sociable individuals. I've also heard of at least a few individuals who could not push through in Aus and had to return to Msia due to their own reasons.

However, I do think a there'll be a glass ceiling for a lot of the big/major companies when it comes to C-level roles. Maybe this won't be the case for newer companies or those established by migrants. Just a personal (limited) observation. Also a bit out of topic, but programmers with 3 years experience can earn a big range from 100 - 150k now, so I think certain careers now would have a great chance of breaking into the higher income brackets.
Edit: Typos

This post has been edited by kagenn: Jul 16 2022, 10:30 AM