Spamming?

You included.

Me too.

merdeka... hehe... I joined my friends at IH and we sung screamed Negaraku at the top of our lungs, and then shouted out the ikrar... LOL... "Maka kami, rakyat Malaysia... Berikrar..."

Lovely sun for the past few days, but it's going to rain soon. Saturday reaching 23C... hell yeah, that's good.

Any interesting events in Melbourne for Spring? I only heard about the Fashion week thing which will never ever arouse my interest.

IH = international house... very fun, good place to stay if you have the cash.

Damn clock adjusting time... Very mahfan... and it means we're "further" away from Msia...

Horse race... Don't care about Melb Cup anyway, angmoh culture not mine.

Melb does get quite sien at times, since most of the happening stuff are around the city, not within it.

I too miss RM1 roti canai... and when I thought AUD9 is overboard, wait till you see this from Brisbane:



Tulip... went there last year... pretty good indeed, a nice drive from Melb too. From there onwards can drive all the way up to Mt.Dandenong Observatory... and pray there's no fog/haze around. It was kinda dusty when I was there last year that I couldn't really see much of Melb's city skyline.

Royal Melb Show... meh... fun fair...

The best thing that I enjoyed in Melbourne was actually the Melb Motor show... Oh yeah, the gold mines were pretty good too.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Sep 10 2008, 01:12 PM

dunno ler... took that pic from my friend's facebook.. maybe will ask him next time.

Or you could ask around in Brissie haha... it looks like some sort of Chinese restaurant with the "龙" words around, and since it has roti canai it might just be a Malaysian owned shop.

Chill chill haya...

This current format suits me just fine... I don't see any problem in this, or in the previous one.

Then again, let's be honest here... How many people actually take the trouble to read the very first page, esp when the thread is already 100+ pages long?

Subang? Opposite Taylor's College... IDP, AusEd, and the other one at the corner... can't remember the name... just pick one. IDP and AusEd are more geared twds Australian Unis obviously. Or if you're from Taylor's, you could just go to the placement centre and ask.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Sep 16 2008, 03:33 PM

Summer? Go back to Msia lah...

but yeah, picking fruits can get a lot of money... I've friends who picked their way to second-hand cars...

Hehe...

In Melb, there are 4 seasons in A DAY.

AUD selling at 2.56 today... it's such a nice change after being 2.8/2.9 for most of the year... hopefully it doesn't shoot up again at the end of the year like it usually did in the past.

SGD is going strong, almost 1 to 1 now.... good news for Sporeans over here... no wonder they can spend like crazy Bad news for me since it means I'm doing electives there at the end of this year...

2.46 still ok lah, yesterday was 2.395 isn't it? It has been around 2.8, 2.9 for much of the year... and it's predictable that it'll shoot up during Dec and Jan as usual. As long as it remains around 2.5 I'll be content hehe...

I wish that my tuition fees don't increase next year, but it's probably a wishful thinking. damn.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Oct 14 2008, 08:26 AM

so fast kena fly attack liao?

the depreciation of AUD is good for us because it means that our tuition fees are lower when converted back to RM... but the global economic crisis is not exactly a good sign as it'll mean more inflation and possibly mucking up of our bank savings... Kev has assured us about the safety of our cash so at least that's a relief.

RMIT has a couple of campuses lying around... There is indeed one near the city along Swanston St, but there's also one in Bundoora which is quite far away.

Lively or not hehe.. depends loh... the whole Melbourne city can be lively or dead, depending on your interests (and also friends).

LOL guys... what's with the fighting among Melbourne and Sydney?

I haven't been to Syd so can't comment... but Melb is a nice place to live in. Sure, there are certain short comings but which place doesn't? It's a beautiful place with lots of art pieces beautifying the city, and when summer comes there'll be an eye feast when the strap tops and shorts come out

Like what bhypp said, the city's so diverse that it doesn't seem like a angmoh place anymore. However, being a cultural melting pot ain't exactly a bad thing either as you'll get to experience different kinds of stuff. Nevertheless, when you move further outwards to more rural areas it's still pretty much dominated by Caucasians, or Aborigines depending on where you go.

Shit weather... can't do jack about it unless you have some supernatural powers to control Mother Nature...

Yet I still think home's the best place to be as that's where most of our friends and families are.

Well to continue what Ver started off, here goes for Melbourne:

Pros:
1. It's a cultural melting pot as mentioned above.
2. The city's beautiful, funky, and trendy. Seriously. And all my friends who've been in different places in Australia agree that Melbourne has the most pretty people around. Don't ask me why, I dunno too.
3. There's lots of international events going on - Melb F1, Australian Open, Philip Island Motor GP etc... if you're interested in them that is.
4. Wines galore... if you love alcohol in your blood... not me though.
5. Shopping heaven, for girls especially. Not as much for guys though.
6. Public transport is quite expansive (a bit expensive as well), but it's getting crappier to be honest. Still, it's better than back in M'sia's... but it'll soon deteriorate into shit state if no improvements are made.
7. Loads of scenic places to go... and nothing beats the view of the ocean with great cliffs. With sunset. And the blue sea.
8. People are relatively friendly... it's easy to smile or even start a conversation with strangers (be cautious though of course). You don't get this often in M'sia, or any other Asian countries I guess.

Cons:
1. It's not home, no matter how good it is.
2. Shit weather... 4 seasons in ONE DAY. Oh yes, the weather's borderline.
3. It's VERY crowded in the city. Not that it's not in KL, but it's so much more hectic than JB, where I'm from.
4. Far too much alcohol around. Yup, you'll see drunkards and wackos all over the city at night, doing stupid stuff. Again, it's not like we don't have buggers in M'sia either.
5. No mamak. Nuff said. And damn it... I have still yet to find proper wantan mee. That's just me being picky.
6. It's not cheap, especially near the city. Prices of things increase subtly but quickly, and before you know it... pokkai liao.

Just these at the moment... feel free to add more.

I'm not helping?

Well someone asked about the living conditions in Aussie cities so I'm just posting my views about Melb... how's that not helping? I didn't get involved in the Melbourne-Sydney debate or any other cities wei...

And we're not comparing... we're just stating opinions and sharing ideas for those interested.

Yeah everything's a ripoff, esp if they are stuff that you'll only do it once. Translating your BM birth cert or license or documents officially into English probably will cost you 30-50 bucks... yeah, a week's grocery money for just a few lines which I could easily do it myself.

I'm not sure about the 100AUD for medical checkup though... coz students will probably do it in Msia before they come over (therefore paying RM) and I don't remember needing to do it again in Australia. Anyone applying better double check as things might have changed.

Mine was seriously a stupid ripoff back then. Previously students involved in healthcare were required to do HIV screening tests before applying for the visa, but they changed it around the same time when I applied. So technically I don't have to do it. Yet when I applied the visa the Australian department in charge of visas in M'sia called me and said I needed to do it otherwise the system won't be able to process my application, despite me and the doctor explaining to them that the new rules don't require it. In the end I had to pay extra cash to do it just not to delay my visa, and the doctor was kinda dumbfounded as well... meh, he earned the additional cash, that bugger... didn't like that doctor anyway, he was too cheesy...

Student uni societies... those are dumb. I didn't join UniMelb's student union as they cost too much, and the benefits are pretty useless anyway. They're mainly discounts or special offers, which in the end will make you spend more cash. And the fact is that I spend most my time in hospitals rather than uni campus, so why bother? And I agree that most of the cash will end up in booze parties...

Luckily it's not compulsory for us.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Oct 20 2008, 07:32 PM

Air... yeah... it happens to me. My nose is totally fine for an entire year, until I touch down on M'sian soil where it'll go running like a broken dam for a week. Need to pump pseudoephedrines and anti-histamines until my nose gets acclimatised to M'sian allergens

yeah, I'm in 5th year but ours is a 6 year course so still some way to go... based in RMH although most of the gang is in Austin... sien... bah. Gotta muck around in Sunshine for the next 6/52... then exams... dulanz T_T



I don't.

The last time I did was during dinner with friends and at that time we were playing some stupid games... vodka makes the world go round. And round and round my head goes... Didn't get drunk but can feel the disinhibition adi... and can hear the arteries in my head pumping so loudly. Luckily no hives that time

Sunshine... doing some rotation there mah...

Footy LOL... just like my engineering friend in Monash... he loves footy to bits. For me football = bola sepak lah... I still feel weird calling it soccer like the Yankees and Aussies. True about drinking and socialising with angmoh, but getting wasted is a no-no... bad for health, bad for wallet.

We're gonna turn this thread into kopitiam soon

eh bhypp... go to Alfred and clerk patients lah haha... don't kopitiam so much

Going to sunshine for tute soon... rehab all old people, such a big difference from the young lads that I met when doing psych previously...

get an adapter in msia... can easily get it in any electrical shop... few ringgit only... in fact, buy a few of them if you're planning to bring a couple of appliances over eg handphone charger, digital camera, mp3 player etc...

STD better LOL... do they screen for STD during medical checkup before applying visa? can't remember... but surely they didn't do a genital swab lah... no pus for them to swab also unless you got something dodgy hehe... not sure about VDRL though, maybe they did that.

don't buy desktop and bring it over... get a laptop... it's mobile and you can carry it to uni or library or friend's place, very handy since you're going to do shit loads of assignments during your uni years. price wise, laptops are more affordable nowadays compared to couple of years ago.... unless you're going to do something heavy in resources like video editing/CGI rendering/crazy gaming, otherwise a medium range spec laptop should suffice...

A fast broadband will be more useful for you hehe...

LOL Mang/Singlish... it's only fun when you speak like that to people who speak the same, i.e. fellow Malaysians and Sporeans. Try speaking that to angmoh and see their reactions.

I've become a chameleon now and I believe I'm not the only one... When speaking to fellow Malaysians the -lahs/-lehs and the rojaks all come out... but when speak with angmoh automatically will follow their accent. I don't claim to speak in an Aussie accent, but I don't think I sound Manglish either haha. It's all about habit I guess, cause I have no choice but to speak that way with the people I encounter in hospitals now and most of the other friends whom I speak Manglish/Chinese with are at other hospitals.

About the "racial" segregation, I guess that does occur inevitably. 物以类聚，人以群分mah... Just don't end up becoming katak bawah tempurung and know nothing about their culture can adi... Like if you're in Melbourne, at least learn some footy teams' names so that when people shout "GO CATS !!" you know wtf they are shouting about.

Yeah... holiday... Last year's Melb Cup we had a full 5 day holiday stretched over the weekend for some reason, yet this time round only Tuesday is off. Oh well, better than nothing. Haha zl, so shiok ah swotvac now... wait till you enter clinicals, damn it we don't even have swotvac anymore... semester only ends at end of this month then terus exams... Enjoy uni while it lasts...

LOL Demons... I remember the only match which I watched on TV while switching in between the Olympics opening ceremony... Cats tapao demons kao kao... Meh, footy ain't my thing.... but at least it's better than rugby or even the boring cricket...

I don't think the Aussies are full of themselves or arrogant, but they are definitely people who are very proud of their culture and their country. No harm though, this kind of patriotism is actually worth learning - we need people to be more proud of our own M'sia, even though it's kinda shitty back home thanks to the non-stop political bickering.

Rugby and footy are kinda different. In Melb people are generally more crazy about footy, while in other places rugby is more popular I guess. But it remains that the Aussies are fanatical about their sport.

I guess in the city they can't be too arrogant and look down on foreigners since half of the city is swarmed by Chinese/Koreans/Japs/HK/SEAs/Indians In hospitals it's even more apparent... cannot be too lansi since most of the doctors (esp junior ones) are non-Australians hehe.

9-5 and no OT? Probably applies to everyone except in the medical profession.

As for pay... you won't get as much as expected... Probably slightly more than back in Msia, but less crappy working environment and hours... Car and petrol are comparatively cheaper, as with groceries; but stuff like utilities, rent, taxes, and entertainment cost more. You win some, you lose some... the world ain't perfect.

Night life wise... I don't drink or go clubbing so it doesn't really matter to me, but it's kinda pathetic when you have nowhere to go after dinner... not like in M'sia you can go hang around the shops or go yumcha at night.

Both?

But mainly to save money lah.

An average meal outside = 8.90-10.00, not counting places specially catering for students' needs which may be around 6 (but very few)... previously one meal is large enough to eat it twice, but now everything also shrink liao, one meal is only enough for eating it once.

So let's say 1 meal on average is AUD 9
2 meals per day = 18, add in misc stuff we'll say AUD 20

So one month would be 20x30= 600

Even if you only eat 5 days per week, i.e. 20x20 = 400;
plus say you cook during the weekends which may cost 10-15 per weekend = say 15 x4 = 60
Total is still 460

If you cook daily, you'd probably spend approx 20-30 per week for groceries. We'll take 30 assuming that you eat heaps.
30x4 = 120 Add in miscellaneous stuff and I'm being generous here, the cost will still end up less than 200.

These are just for food... simple food of course, assuming that you don't eat exotic stuff.

Do the math. Want to cook or not? I would, and I am now. Somemore, there ain't many places that you can eat every day without feeling bloated or bored. It's not like back in Msia where you can eat zha fan and choose a different dish every day and still have lots of choices by the end of the week.

If anyone can't cook, it's time to learn now... Cooking simple meals ain't that difficult... The TV just finished showing Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food, which shows how he tries to influence an entire town to cook their own meals instead of eating greasy chips every day. You just need to take the first step, and it'll come naturally. Easiest skill to learn? Try stir fry... a hot pan, hot oil, quick hand movements and you can cook almost anything... meat, vege, rice, mihun, mee... oh yeah. But don't try to "stir fry" fish unless you want to scrape the mess off your pan... I did it the first time You can only deep fry fish, not stir fry.

For me, cooking is a fun thing to do....... it's the cleaning up that pisses me off haha.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Nov 4 2008, 08:12 AM

cook with gf pulak ahaha... later they cook you cuci pinggan only

30 per week is more than enough for groceries; booze and chocolate and rubbish food not included of course. To save even more, shop at Aldi instead of Woolies or Coles, for example a loaf of bread cost 1.09 instead of 3, 4 bucks.

And buy dry food eg instant noodles in bulk or boxes/cartons... Asian groceries are full of these stuff.

A little saving here and there goes a long way, especially if you don't have a money printing machine at home.

Bloody good weather today... forecast said it's going to rain, but maybe the race organisers asked bomoh to help. And I'm stuck with piles of notes T_T