Try to go on the weekend as it is heaps cheaper. When i go Chinatown for longer periods of time use the carpark at the corner of Goulburn and Elizabeth St (entrance using Goulburn). They have a flat whole day park for A$12 for both Saturdays and Sundays. They are also the cheaper preference on weekdays and average out at $10/hr. Street parking around Chinatown (on weekends) are A$4.70/hr so if you are going to be there longer than two and a half hours, use the carpark. I can't remember the carpark operator name but it is a big carpark with about 4-5 floors. I used to park there nearly every weekend when we go down to the city (makan lunch in Chinatown and then go Myer/David Jones for jalan jalan).

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.

The only negative thing about this carpark is that it has a very small lift but other than that everything is okay.

The weather now in Sydney is going bonkers. Sometimes rain for 10-20 mins and stop and rains again.

Thankfully it was sunny during weekend and manage to secure my unit at Lane Cove instead of city studio.

When it is raining in Sydney, it is usually cold and miserable - worse when it cold. The thing about rain in Sydney is it usually tends to stay around for a few days at least. When it rains in winter, it is usually not so cold - clear cloudless nights are coldest in winter because there is no cloud cover to trap the heat in.

Winter is coming soon so rug up

Yea, good thing I have my weather jacket prepared especially for this kind of situation. Even my hostel provided me with an umbrella so I'm truly grateful for that as well.

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.

My wife has been to Pricne of Wales emergency quite a few times in the last 15 years. My wife would get UTI (urinary tract infection) quite often and she would keep vomitting severely. Took my wife a few times there in the middle of the night and there would usually only be one doctor on duty - usually the triage nurse would assess how severe the condition is and then we would wait a few hours before the doctor on duty attends to her. Very stressful!! My wife likes to always get sick after midnight so i would be at the emergency until dawn. Not a very pleasant experience.
I have seen a lot of people fake their symptoms (like screaming in pain or pretending to be dying) so that they can be seen by the medical officer on duty faster.
Westmead is a big hospital and i am sure their emergency ward is flat out most of the time. I think you got to prepare yourself mentally to get used to this kind of service. I have been to the emergency ward quite a few times and it is extremely stressful. Hope you and your family gets well soon.

Hi, can anyone here can share their experience on applying the australia work visa? do u guys DIY or engage with the agency to apply for EOI?

Went renew my passport at Jalan Duta yesterday with my wife - Immigration office nowadays is opened until 10pm. Not much of a queue as only a select group of people were allowed in - i belong to the senior citizen group (anyone born on or before 1 Jan 1962 is classified as a senior citizen). Most people are told to lodge online applications.

I was asked why i have been out of the country (Msia) for so long and if i had other citizenships - told them negative and was asked how i managed to live overseas for so long during Covid. Told them i have pr in Australia and was asked to show my resident return visa (rrv) which i did. No problems after this. I suspect the Immigration Office is trying to weed out those who have taken other citizenships and still renewing their Msian passports especially when some of them have gone back to live during Covid.

it is always this way.

part of the past reason is people trying to take advantage of the Malaysian subsidies or cheap prices using dual citizenship a long time ago.
I don't think is so much lucrative now. But it still applies to some people.

makes you wonder whether Australia healthcare is actually any better than Malaysia?

Waiting that long for treatment could honestly be quite disappointing.

This is something that everyone living in Australia has to accept. When you check into Casualty, there is a triage nurse there who will do the initial diagnosis and their main aim is to make sure YOU DO NOT DIE. If you are in terrible pain, they will give you some painkillers. Don't forget there are a lot of drug addicts in there so the nurses have to be sure they are not in danger as well.

I have been fairly healthy so i have not needed to use the Casualty ward (also call the Emergency Ward) but for those who may need the govt health system (funded under Medicare), you may have to endure a little. However the wait is probably the only negative as the staff is extremely professional and most nurses there are good. I know the medical system there are there are a few doctors in my badminton group (a very closely-knit group).

I have never needed to go to a public hospital in Malaysia (i probably wouldn't need to go as my wife and i have the financial resources to go private) so i cannot make a comparison.

Public hospital in Malaysia does have waiting times, but I've not seen heard anyone take more than 3 hours from time they step in until discharge. Unless they have to stay overnight, and they need to find a bed for the patient.

These are also cases whereby they need to seek specialist assistance like a psychiatrist or an orthopedist.

Most times you don't have to go to a public hospital for treatment - there are a lot of bulk-billed clinics you can go to get treatment (if you have a Medicare card, it is free as it is bulk-billed). You only go to a hospital when the bulk-billing clinics (surgeries) are closed or when you need a hospital bed.

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.

thanks bro, but because i read some other forum that they said its not easy to get visa sponsored by company, the best way is only they invite us to take visa which is (189, 190 and 491). i just wonder whats the different between agent and self apply, do they really help us alot during this process? do u think it worth the money ?

agent will beautify your resumes and place your application.
I was a marketing specialist way back then, but also in charge of procurement and category manager.

So my CVs did include both skills. Where Vetassas recognize.

But you got to tell your HR or boss to acknowledge it for you if the officer calls to verify. it has to be genuine.

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.