A couple formerly from might church made the move down under almost a year ago. While they were still here, they were driving a Kelisa and working hard to pay their mortgage. They are in the usual “surviving” mode just like many of us. Work was tough then, with the usual long hours making up pretty much their lives.
They are now renting a pretty decent place in the Melbourne suburb. After both of them landing a job and having worked for a few months, they purchased a 5-year old Honda CRV. They have been travelling around Australia; living life the way it should be.
With the Australian govt paying first home owner a grant of circa AUD15,000; I won’t be surprise if they get themselves a place of their own. Yes, the Aust govt gives grant for buying your first house. As long as you are a resident, you get the grant. There is no such thing such as Aussie-putera.
And you know what? At 5.30pm on a working day, the husband would be at home cooking dinner already.
There are many reasons why people view the grass on the other side being much greener. For me, the above is more than sufficed. I want to live in an environment where I don’t need work my soul away to have a decent living.
And just to digress to let you in on a very interesting observation – throughout my 10-day trip to Melbourne, I have met quite a lot of people (obviously). And having been in conversation with so many of them, only 2 individuals asked me what I work as – one a Malaysian, the other a Singaporean.
It does show who prioritises career in whose life, isn’t it?
P/S: I was quite tempted to say that I work as a janitor or garbage collector. I wonder how the Malaysians and Singaporeans will view me if I say that.
2 years go… Dear Mommy… Farewell Mom… It was not meant to be a surprise
Despite the extraterrestrial rules and somewhat nonsensical speed limit, I have thoroughly enjoyed by driving experience in Melbourne. Let me share with you the orgasmic driving experience…
I know we are all used to driving in the presence of rempits and non-rempits motorcycles. Those few days of driving without a single motorcycles was just fantabulous. It just feel damn great. You have to feel it to know it.
There were hardly any land-mines a.k.a. pot-holes on the road. Smooth drive all the way bay-beh!
Toll-less highways. When driving in the freeway (a bigger version of highway), there is only one toll-point and you can actually avoid it. In fact, you can use most of the freeway without having to pay toll at all.
When parking is free, it’s free. There will be no one ushering your car into space and collect money from you to ensure your car stay “damage-free”. Don’t you just hate them?
When you signal to change lane, rest assured the other drivers will let you change lane instead of accelerating right next to you to block your way.
Signboards are actually accurate unlike here where signboards tend to lead you to highway so that you will pay toll. Worse, some leads you to nowhere.
And the best of all… traffic-jam-less driving. I know some of you will say that there is quite a bit of traffic jam during peak hours, i.e. pre and post office hour. That is true. I saw that while driving to Crown Casino. But traffic jam is only during those hours. Here in KL, do you realise that there is no such thing as peak hour anymore. I just got back from musicians practise from church and was caught in a jam. It was 10.05pm!
As such, I have derived much pleasure from my driving experience in Melbourne despite the weird traffic rules. Yes, the law enforcement is strict and some of us may not favour such driving environment as some would want to cut queue at a junction, jump lights, drive on emergency lanes and stopped in the yellow box just to get ahead of others.
But there are many; who would abide the traffic rules to ensure a pleasant and safe driving environment. For the kind of orgasmic element mentioned above, I will abide the traffic rules anytime.
There are many of us who proudly proclaim… “If you can drive in Malaysia, you can drive anywhere”. Let me tell that it is nothing but a myth.
Perhaps that statement is true when a Malaysian take the wheel in countries that have no respect to traffic rules. But if one is to drive in true blue Malaysian manner in Melbourne – yes, you might rule the roads, but you will also lose your licence within hours.
Cameras are everywhere and unlike here, cameras in Melbourne actually work. Most of the roads have a maximum speed limit of 60km/h with 80km/h on a highway and 100km/h on a freeway. During the few days when I was driving there; half of the time I was looking at the speedometer.
When making turns, you are to give way to pedestrians first. In most parts, you will also have to give way to trams and stop for tram passengers to get up/down. Basically, motor vehicles are the bottom of the food chain in the traffic rules; a complete opposite from here. On top of that, they have a very unique rule called the “hook turn” where you keep left to turn right. Yes, you read it correctly and yours truly actually did one that… successfully.
Maybe you’re thinking now… “Yeah, we may not be able to follow the rules but we Malaysians are skilful drivers!” Is that so?
Ya’ know, there are quite a number of cars there which are on manual transmission. Expensive cars with auto transmissions are mostly owned by I-must-show-off Asians. How many of us will still be blissfully driving if our cars are on manual transmission?
On top of that, I noticed one very peculiar thing… most cars (like 85%) in Melbourne do not have a reverse sensor. No, I am not talking about old cars; I am talking about relatively new Accord, Civic, Altis and quite a range of other cars which you would expect to have reverse sensor.
Manual transmission… no reverse sensor and most of the car park spot in the city are parallel based… so u seriously think Malaysians are skilful drivers?
.jpg)
Of course, there are a blissful side about driving in Melbourne… perhaps we can talk about that tomorrow…
P/S: In case you are wondering, the car I drove was on manual transmission and does not have reverse sensor.
1 year ago… To prove that I am good
2 years go… I hate it but I have to do it… Of parking, toll and a kick ass video
I have heard so many people talking about it, and I am sure many of you heard of it too. Some of you might have experienced it; or some of you may even be experiencing it right now! I am referring to the Australian life.
The 10 days spent in Melbourne have been nothing less than bliss. If I was asked to describe the city in two words, those words would be… “very liveable”. I guess it was no surprise that Melbourne came second in the Economist’s World’s Most Liveable Cities 2008.
Some may say… “Hey Zewt, that’s because you were on a holiday!” Trust me, if I blog about the working life in Australia, we who work in Malaysia will need to take anti-depression pills. I have 2 stories about people working in Australia in the pipeline, but not today.
To me, Melbourne is such a liveable place simply because it is a very well planned city populated (mostly) by educated-law-abiding citizens and governed by a govt who truly works for the betterment of the public. When you put all these elements together, you get a place where waking up is a joy everyday.
It may appear that I am exaggerating but that is how I feel. There are many good things that I can talk about and I will in the next few days but let me just start with something I find really precious and hard to come by these days… the air… clean air.
I have blogged previously about the poor air quality here in KL and how the rain has been a blessing in disguise. Having been to Melbourne and back, I can confidently raise my arm and confirm the distinctive difference in air quality between here and there. How?
Some of you may know that I have persistent throat irritation that often leads to traces of blood in my phlegm to which the ENT finds no problem in my throat. The mucus in my nose is often green and I have to dig clean my nose everyday.
During my 10 days in Melbourne, my throat irritation was completely gone. I had no crap in my nose for almost 8 days before some dried mucus dropped off, and it was white. The moment I came out from the airport here, my nose was blocked and on the night of my return, my green mucus has returned.
Have you ever clean your window or the table in your house? Imagine that layer of black-dunno-what in your nose; or worse… in your lungs. That is something KL can never provide and with open burning openly ignored by the authorities, it can only get worse.
Like one of my friend said… “it’s scary what we are breathing in here”.
I year ago… The changes, expected changes and the un-changed… The conversation with the driver… Some info on UK work-travel Visa and contract employment
2 years go… It’s a boss thing… I was at the party… They clever or I stupid?… Lifestyle of the smart and not so smart
With the Australian govt paying first home owner a grant of circa AUD15,000; I won’t be surprise if they get themselves a place of their own. Yes, the Aust govt gives grant for buying your first house. As long as you are a resident, you get the grant. There is no such thing such as Aussie-putera.
.jpg)
