Woh you better trim you weight man, stuff that is not important and you can easily find in Aussie leave it behind by all means. 10kg overweight is seriously will not be tolerated by the airlines check-in staff, they will insist you to repack on THE SPOT unless you're willing to fork $$$ per-kg which is seriously expensive. Or else you just post from here to your aussie address. Usually >RM100 per-kg. And btw you're transiting ones at Singapore.

My solution for you is invest in a good bag pack/hand luggage that can carry heavy stuffs, usually i put books inside the hand luggage because it's generally heavy and also easy to handle AND if you have to repack you can simply dump the books if the check in staff insist in trimming down and i know for a fact that hand luggage rules are more lenient compare to check-in luggage to fly to Australia BUT flying out of Australia it is really really strict. Or buy a new luggage especially the light one which is seriously solid and secure, very cheap less than RM300 for a big size and a medium size , mine was like less than 4kg weight for the big size one.

Three don't have any iphone bundle with their plan, but if you have an iphone and it's not contracted to any telco then Three has among the best data/price ratio in the market. So your solution would be go to Optus and buy the phone and pay the unlocking fees for it, then go to Three and sign up for their plan.

But we will see since Vodafone and Three will merged their Australian operation soon.

Yeah merging indeed here..
But Vodafone will handle the Aussie business.

LIVE Champion's League - SBS (normal tv, FREE) , always have 2 matches per-round .
LIVE EPL/Champion's League - Foxtel(can watch all the live matches, MUST PAY)
LIVE EPL Streaming - Foxtel(limited live matches, MUST PAY)
LIVE EPL Streaming - iinet(limited live matches since it's from foxtel streaming, free if your ISP is iinet, un-metered streaming)

If you have fast internet and lotsa quota then you can stream live for free, just download the necessary p2p tv streaming software, usually 500-700MB per-match depending on the quality. Cheers.

Simple for 30kg allowance, outbound flight from australia to malaysia you can use you student ID( a local MAS rep. at Adelaide confirm this to me last month), could be the case only for Adelaide.
From Malaysia to Australia either ISIC or Grad card ONLY. IF overweight then just carry as hand luggage to the cabin since MAS do not weight hand luggage(could be different now). But for outbound flight to Malaysia from Australia i noticed MAS is strict in hand luggage weight, so take notice of that.
ISIC- STA travel, they usually have an office around uni campus(if you're lucky) check here for more details.
MasGrad - Can only be applied in Malaysia, see spoiler for more details.

Better search first before you moved out, some places are open for inspection like 1 month before you can physically move in.
If the place is cheap and in a nice location then moving out early would be worthwhile since you will be staying there for more than 6 months.

Well i'm not sure how it goes now. I did unlock my Three phone last year. I think if you want to unlock it you have to be at least 6 months with them then you can unlock it for free, again i'm not sure now probably you can unlock it earlier but will pay a fee for it.
Basically make sure you have an extra phone with your either fixed line or another mobile phone that is not the phone that you're going to unlocked.
When you call them for the first time they will required some proof regarding the phone you want to unlock then they will ask you to call them back using another phone and from there they will guide you on how to unlock it. Took around 5 mins for me to do it. Quite easy and yes it works with a Malaysian's SIM card after unlocking.

Well i usually cycle around pedestrian path when it is not busy. But it depends if it's wide enough then you may, if its busy then you better dismount and just walk with your bike for safety reason.
I suggest you buy a bike that suits your needs. If you're planning to 100% use the road as you medium of cycling like all the Aussies here then you better get a road bike. Road bikes are the most common bikes here and it gives better power-to-distances ratios, since it is lightweight and durable too.
Do a survey on your cycling path e.g any slopes, parkland, traffic lights,bicycle's lanes, bus stops and etc.
If you want to vary your cycling path like i do then get a sport bike or mountain bike cause it is durable and suitable for almost all road surfaces. Parkland roads are usually tar or just rough grounds and i usually take this cycling path in the afternoon since it is safer but it is not safe at night since some parkland are not 100% lit at night and also you have trees around the cycling path so you can take cover from the sun here. But of course make sure your cycling paths is practical for you, cycling in Aussie is relatively safe and i suggest you buy gloves because cycling in the morning in winter are cold for your hands.

Supplementary exams = something like resitting the exam for your subject if you have valid reasons to qualified for it(supplementary exam)in the first place, it is like a second chance to pass the subject. Among the reasons could be health problems or academic.
E.g in my uni ONLY students who got marks in the range of 45 -49 marks which is a conceded pass grade and fulfilled other requirements will automatically get an academic supplementary(supp.) exam and it is not compulsory to retake the supp. but of course you have to retake the subject again and get more than 50 to get a pass grade. If a student get less than 45 he/she may still get a supp. if he/she has a valid reason for not performing well in the exam example health problem on the day of the exam but of course there are other requirements governing who gets a supp. either for health or academic reasons, e.g tutorial attendances, assignments and etcs. And for my uni all supp.'s exam marks are capped at 50 which is a pass grade regardless if you managed to scored more than 50 on the exam itself. If you failed the supp. then you have to retake the subject again at the next available semester.



This post has been edited by december88: Jul 11 2009, 09:18 PM

Yes that is true. If you pass the 2nd time round you don't have to retake it and save your money and time too.
Usually you get an email regarding supp. AFTER you got your results, i think you should consult with an academic staff for clarification in this matter.
Anyway just check your supp. exams schedule and start studying to pass for it.

I suggest you get a temporary accommodation and ones you arrived and settled, go and rent a car and find a suitable accommodation for you and your family.
Btw i think it is better you stay away from university accommodation since you have a family, you need to maintain a calm and good atmosphere for you child, and university accommodation can get quite rowdy and your child might not get used to the atmosphere here and university accommodation are a tad expensive.
Btw which uni are your doing your Phd?
Regardless of that the southern suburbs e.g Unley,Parkside, along Glen Osmond Road(good bus service) and etc are good place to stay since there are generally quiet(no flight path underneath you!) and safe.

**edit: forgot to add, this might suit you and your family better, you come here alone and settle things first (e.g accommodation, transport etc) and then your wife and child can come in and settle nicely, less stress for you also from my point of view.

This post has been edited by december88: Aug 20 2009, 07:04 PM

I would say China is too crowded and the pollution is crazy over there.
I mean every one of us seek a better future and i guess Australia is one of those countries that people seek to permanently settled.
Most of my Chinese mates want to get a PR but will not want to get an Aussie citizenship or relinquish their Chinese citizenship, but Australia do allow dual-citizenship with restriction of course e.g jobs related to national security.
Anyway Australia is a good place for Chinese individuals to link up with China since China is soon to be Australia largest trade partner, thus many business opportunities exists between both countries.

Yeah i believe a lot of "hu ha" regarding international students seeking PR after their studies. I believe PR requirements will be tighten in the future since the current Graduate PR scheme is actually prone to frauds.

Aussie is booming, thanks to China, many mega projects are on the pipe line and online in a few years time, just like any booming time the lack of profesionals or human resources is constraining growth. No offense but business grads are too common now, unless you're the cream of the crop.
I seriously believe Australia should try and control/limit the mining industry growth, the amount of money being invest there is crazy and not too mention Australia is a fragile country in terms of vital resources such as water which directly impact population growth.
Unless Australia go nuclear and build desalination plants to produce fresh water and dumped coal altogether, which is unlikely in the near term.

I think you can review your application again even if your student visa is approved. I did missed out a letter in my passport number and i did send out a letter to the application visa processing center to rectify the mistake.
Go to DIAC website and download a form regarding amending/rectifying visa application details, fill it up and provide the evidence for the amendment and send it as registered mail. Real easy. Just e-mail them if you have problems.

If i be you i'll take summer school, even you yourself stated that you want to graduate earlier, if you fail then you have 1st semester to re-do it again.
So do summer school, pass the subject and graduate.
And you have done the subject before so you know what to expect, unless your lecturer changes the course structure.

Oh now i understand your dilemma, did you ask you school or faculty if you can take B instead of A for your degree credits so that you can graduate with enough credits?
Ask yourself do you think you can pass the course being that B is same as A, course structure wise?
If you still facing problem i guess you should make appointment with a course advisors from your faculty or school, they are really there to help you academically and personally as well.
I understand you must be bumped due to one course denying you the graduation.
Btw i think for final semester undergrads. they usually offer supp. if you failed a course, have you ask anyone about it?

ISIC card for the extra luggage weight if you're flying with MAS for outbound and inbound flight from and to Australia.
By default if you show you student card or confirmation of enrollment you will get 25 kg for student(to and from Australia), if you want to get that extra 5kg for total 30kg then you must show your ISIC or Mas Grad for flight to Australia.
From Australia student card will do for 30 kg, but to Australia student card is useless to get 30kg max since the MAS staff(s) at check-in counter will insist that you show your ISIC or Mas Grad since they get commission if you have to pay extra for luggage someone told me thus you have to pay for that extra weight, happen to me this year.
Alternatively if you have no ISIC or Mas Grad then i suggest you just carry it as hand luggage since MAS don't really weight hand luggage, i saw a guy brought 10+ text books and another dude bringing two boxes of instant noodles to the cabin to Australia, be warned from Australia MAS weight your hand luggage(s).
For ISIC regardless when you apply they have a fixed expiry date according to calendar year which start end of March, regardless of when you applied.
Anyway it's worth it, i would rather pay RM100 for the card than pay RM150++ per-kg.
Anyway YMMV.

My post is regarding MAS only.
I ask the lady at the MAS office at Adelaide when i booked my ticket to go back home this year about getting 30kg for flight to Australia from Malaysia, she told me student card will only get 25kg, only ISIC or Mas Grad can get 30kg max.
And for your info, i boarded MAS to Australia from KLIA late Feb. and i even showed the MAS staff my student ID(i didn't have ISIC or Mas Grad) , she refused to give me an extra 3kg, since my luggage total weight was 28kg, and the flight was not even half full.
Anyway i'm just sharing my experience for those who are embarking to Australia for their studies next year, the rules might changed but it's better to be prepared and be informed.

It depends, i suggest you apply ASAP and provide all the necessary documents so that you can get an answer fast.
You might NOT get all the credit transfers though since Uni Adelaide revamped the course credits, aka more workload and longer exam especially for engineering.


It depends, usually for hostel you have to pay the " booking fees". Usually it's 50 - 80% of the weekly rent before you arrived.