It’s fall now in Brisbane, the weathers getting colder and life’s getting pretty busy. I bought a new camera, so here’s a pictorial update:

The Brisbane skyline on a passing afternoon.

I now have a class on the Southbank campus. I travel to 3 campuses in a week. I don’t mind Southbank, cause it’s actually on the way back from work…

The Story Bridge, taken from the Riverside Promenade.

St Patrick’s day parade !!

The liquor collection at Metro21. Yes, my friends are full blown alcoholics now.

I bought a Nintendo DS too. I totally love it, and it makes the bus rides way more fun!

One day in Uni, I saw a long line of catterpillars crossing the road. Catterpillars!!

Hayley Sales and Jason Mraz @ the tivoli. Check out his new moustache, and I was second row from the front!

Gregory Page and Jason Mraz. Yeah, his moustache was fake …

Jason Mraz and his band. And the garden gnome that Toca brings around.

That’s me at the gig. And my new smile, nice ?

You just gotta be there to see how good Jason Mraz is live. I recorded full songs, but I was too near the speakers, so the sound got distorted. Since I don’t have a recording, check this one out from Korea:

Jason Mraz - I’m yours (live in Korea)

Previously, I wanted to drop out of university and work full time under a work visa, sponsored by my employer.

Bad news everyone.

It seems that my employer cannot meet the requirements to sponsor my work visa. Part of the requirements to qualify for the sponsorship, is that the company has to be incorporated. Even if they plan to incorporate, it would be about a year from now. I guess I’m a year too early.

So what am I going to do now ?

Well, I negotiated with my program convenor and worked out the best possible situation. Thank goodness I didn’t file my complain yet. Perhaps it was wise to not burn bridges just yet.

I now have only one class in the Gold Coast, and that’s on Mondays and I don’t have any other class on that day. I actually get to work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday because my other classes are at night. Yeah, sounds tough but I’m willing to do it.

Well, it would have been super awesome for me to work full time instead, but I guess I can’t do anything about it for the time being.  Furthermore, at least I graduate middle of this year and I would probably go back to Malaysia in the middle of the year.

I know at least one person who would be happy that I’d be home …

Great news !!

In 28 days I will become an illegal immigrant in Australia. As of next week, I would have dropped out of university which cancels my student visa.

How is this good news you say ?

Well my employer is more than happy to sponsor my work visa here. If all things go well, I would be working full time with him as a temporary worker under the visa subclass 457. The only problem is, that the visa application process takes up to 12 weeks to complete.

Furthermore, I’ve dropped all my subjects at my university and I’m officially not enrolled. You see, my course enrolment has been giving me the shits since last semester. I’m filing an official complaint against my course conveyor because he’s been unhelpful and unprofessional over these months.

Furthermore, if I stayed on, I would have to travel between Gold Coast and Brisbane for different classes. That’s a 4 hour roundtrip ! Fucking bullshit in my opinion. The university says it offers the program in one location, but drops this bomb after enrolment ?

Anyways, that means that I have 28 days to pack my bags, otherwise I’d get deported.

So, what’s my plan now ? Why I though you’d never ask :

1. So I have 28 days left in this country.
2. Apply for the 457 visa, which would take 12 weeks
3. I’d apply for a tourist visa which would give me at least 3 months. (Although, I can’t work during this time)
4. If I really do have to leave the country, I’d just hop to New Zealand while waiting for the 457 application. Hi Karl, Su and Suyin!!

The absolutely worse scenario, is that the 457 application doesn’t get through and I have to go back to Malaysia. The best scenario , is that I work full time here and maybe study part time as well. No way I’d want to stay in that stupid program I had before. Wish me all the best guys !!

Well I’d say, life is fucking brilliant !!

*edit: I’d be granted a bridging visa when I apply for my 457. That means I don’t have to leave the country and I can still work. The bridging visa would be valid until a decision is given for the 457. I’d still get deported if they reject me though. Still need some luck !!

Time for some updates!

First things first, I got a job! I’ll be a web programmer and I start this Friday! I can’t stress how happy I am, because I always wanted to work overseas and now I have a chance.

You see, the employer actually Googled my name and found this blog. Thank my lucky stars that he has a sense of humor! I heard his wife and daughter read the comics as well. Oh, and I’m their first international student that’s working for them.

As to hobbies, I’ve been reading a lot of books lately. They range from Zen, the philosophy of the Matrix (sci-fi, cyberpunk, romanticism and existentialism), chaos theory and logic. Yes, mind blowing stuff. Look forward to some interesting blog entries here.

On to more personal stuff. You see, I don’t normally believe in long-distance relationships. Nor do I believe in fate, but I think I have something going on with a certain miss j. We write messages to each other and I call once in a while. Sometimes I’m surprised that someone so far away can make me feel the way I do for her.

I also regret to say that I somehow can’t really draw ‘girls are evil’ comics for now. Blame it on her, she’s just too sweet to me …

Hi guys, just to let you know I’m back in Brisbane. I arrived yesterday morning and it was such a long journey:

• An hours drive from my house to the LCCT
• Took the damned 8 hour flight to Gold Coast
• Took a shuttle bus from the aiport to the bus stop
• Took a 30 minute bus to the train station
• Took the train from the Gold Coast to Brisbane City (1 hour)
• Walked from the train station to Leon’s place (with luggage)

Hope you’re not counting, but that’s about 12+ hours of travelling. Well, I’d get back to resting now (more like playing computer games), blog later!

ps: Does flirting break the 2-week no women rule I imposed earlier ?

So, lets readjust to Malaysian life shall we? Here’s some of my first thoughts:

1. Every damned once in a while, a condominium pops up at Mont Kiara. Now when I look down the road, I see like maybe 5 new ones. It’s scary.
2. It’s pretty damned hot to be walking around.
3. Because of the piracy raids, the prices of my computer and video games have doubled. That really sucks.
4. Driving is like riding a bike, you never forget how.
5. I saw a road accident in front of my own eyes.
6. Hitz.FM and the other radio stations still suck ass.
7. It’s great to be with family again. My mum and dad annoying each other, my aunt’s food and my brother teaching me how to play guitar.

So basically everything’s same same. Then again, I haven’t been gone for long anyways.

Oh, and I lost ALL your numbers. Drop me an email ya:

Don’t call my old number! Maxis recycles their numbers, and some poor girl is getting calls on my behalf haha.

Can’t wait to meet y’all !!

Some of you may know, that I’ll be back in Malaysia for holidays from the 2nd of December to the 16th of January. I’ve been in Brisbane for 5 months and already I miss a lot of things back home. So when I get back, I will:

1. Hug my good friends like a bear
2. Go on the great Malaysian food marathon
3. Go to the nearest mamak just to lepak (to non-malaysians, this basically means to sit by a road-side food stall while you drink tea and complain about the government or something)
4. Play a face-melting solo on my electric guitar
5. Blast my music because I have no housemates
6. Fire up Burnout or an equally explosive game on my PS2
7. DRIVE A CAR
8. Resurrect my cybercafe buddies and friday night DOTA
9. Meet up with some blogger friends to find out if they are robots or real humans
10. Take a walk in the park (my old readers would know that one of my hobbies is walking in the forest reserve near my house)

There, 10 is a nice number. Watch out you all!