WHAT TO PACK! Studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia

Starting a new life abroad. Sound really scary by itself innit? I know how it feels, you got all these questions in your head. Will I survive this shit? Will I understand their accent? How much will things cost? Your browser opens up endless tabs that consist bits and pieces of 'vital' information you deemed necessary for your survival. You will be excited and terrified at the same time.

Considering how that chapter of my life is over. I shall bestow you my kindness and share with you my experience! Took me months but finally, here is my version of an ultimate guide on WHAT TO PACK before beginning your temporary life in STRAYA. I also elaborated on explanations just so you guys could get a much clearer picture behind things.

#1 WARDROBE
Weather in Melbourne is bullocks. Before I begin, let me break it down for you roughly.

December - February: Summer

March - May: Spring

June - August: Autumn

September - November: Winter

Bear in mind the chances of you experiencing 4 seasons in 1 day is highly possible. Checking the weather app will become a very important routine before you step foot out of your house in Australia. [Here] is where I usually go to for more accurate predictions. Weather in Melbourne is unpredictable which is why, bringing the right clothes is very important.

Here is a little diagram of what I wear regularly, not everything's included but you get the picture:

• Lingerie
• You will be so glad that you brought more pants than you think you need.
• Socks
•  I wear socks even when I am in the house, during winter especially. I hate having cold feet.
• Inner-wear
• Also the base layer, it serves as a "second-skin" and is suppose to provide extra warmth. It has to be either synthetic based or either wool based, NEVER use cotton as a base layer. You could easily find these online or go to your nearest Uniqlo store! 
• Mid-layer
• This could be a blouse, top, tee or shirt. I personally just wear something long sleeved and thin. My tolerance for cold is pretty bad but if you think you are okay with it, skip this!
• Insulating-layer
• Wool would be best! Could be a jumper over a shirt. or a hoodie over a tee.
• Weatherproof shell/ Insulating outerwear
• I would strongly recommend to get something waterproof, padded and has a hood. Before I got there, I had 2 heavy duty coats with me, neither of them were waterproof, nor has a hood to shield my dumb head from the notorious Melbourne weather.
  
  Get something practical, investing in a good jacket/coat is very important in my opinion. You do not need more than two in my opinion unless you are a fashionista, just because they take up so much space in the luggage.
• Shoes
• Sneakers a must! For alternatives I would say boots for rainy days and flip-flops for the summer.
• Accessories
• Not everything you own, they will either get lost, broken or dirty. In my case a watch and 2 bracelets worked fine.
• A BIG THICK SCARF! I can not emphasize this enough. During those cold and miserable winter months, trust me, you will thank me for this. Get something woolie to keep your neck warm and cosy.
• Bags
• Backpack/sling bag/shoulder bags. Your preference but 2 should be sufficient for you to alternate according to occasions. For me backpack was a must due to the fact that I had to constantly carry my laptop to uni, I also bought a shoulder bag while I was there for usual outings.

Note:
I do not think I would need to guide you on how to dress up for summer time. Grab a plain tee, shorts, put on your thongs and you are ready to go. By thongs, I means slippers, flip-flops, Australians calls them that.

YOU WILL BUY MORE CLOTHES. It is inevitable. Malls are always on sales, especially when the season is transitioning. Summer clothes are cheap on winter and vice versa. Make wise shopping decisions and you will save tons! Also, it is always cheaper and easier online!

#2 Toiletries

I arrived Melbourne in the middle of the night. If your case will be any similar to mine, trust me, after a long flight and travelling from the airport to your home, all you want to do in the end of the day is to catch up with some sleep. To get a good rest you got to clean your dirty ass up; which is why I brought some travel pack toiletries with me! Please do not bring full sizes of everything. Be practical. Toiletries are not expensive in Australia you can easily get them in supermarkets and chemist stores. Check the prices [here] and [here]! Do not pack them before flying because it will overweight your luggage, and possibly cost you even more money.

• Toothbrush/ Toothpaste
• I actually hand carry these in my bag, because I have the habit of brushing my teeth before landing. Just can not deal with stinky mouth after long flights.
• Contact Lenses/ Solutions/ Glasses
• If you wear contact lenses regularly, and you are from an Asian country, I would advice you to stock up on your preferred brand. Get more than what you think you need. I have checked and compared the prices. Lens solution is another story, you can get them cheap and easy in any chemist stores. Assuming your lenses are prescribed, do not forget to bring your glasses along for them lazy stay in days, when you got nobody to impress.
• Towel
• First night of moving in your hostel/ rented house, no room service, surprise.
• Travel kit - Shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash
• Travel kit because it is only meant for the first couple of days, get your ass out to the stores and grab them in full sizes once you have settled in.
• Deodorant
• Make up
• Drug store make up are generally cheap in Australia. If you use high end ones, do not worry, I think prices are pretty standard for big brands despite which part of the world you are in. Do check online if your usual must-haves are available in the country tho. In my case, they have discontinued some of the products that I have been religiously using throughout the years; which I was so thankful I packed a dozen of it before heading there. Just do your research! Not only make up, just everything in general! If there is something that you think you can not live without, do double check.

#3 Electronics

• Adapter
• Mains voltage in Australia is 230V 50Hz. The plugs in Australia have two flat metal pins shaped like a "V" and some may contain a third flat pin in the centre.
• Extension plugs
• So this here is my wonderful tip given by a really close friend of mine. Basically what you do, is you plug your extension into the adaptor, and you will not have to get an adapter for every fucking electronic appliances you own. Easily plug in your laptops, hairdryer, chargers etc.
• Phone
• Laptop
• Tablet/ Ipad
• All necessary chargers.
• Camera

These are pretty self explanatory and really varies on different people. For me having all the items listed above is very important because I was a graphic design student. I assume laptops are considered an essential especially if you are in Australia to study.

#4 Medication
I am not a doctor. What I am sharing with you are just medications that I need to have with me all the time. I think you people are smart enough to know that you should always consult a proper doctor and do not bring any dangerous or forbidden drugs with you yadah yadah yadah.

I suffer from Eczema once in a while, hence I brought a stack of allergy pills as well as medicinal spray for my skin, just to avoid flare ups. Although my skin got so much better after being in Australia (probably because of their wonderful clean air) and I barely needed any, I still think it was a great move for me to be prepared at the first place.

Unlike Malaysia, you are not allowed to buy most medications over the counter. You can not just go up to the pharmacist without a prescription and go 'CAN I HAVE A BUNCH OF BIRTH CONTROLS PLEASE'. Consult your gynaecologist before travelling over and stock up on your usual brand. You can get Plan B over the counter by filling in some forms, but girls, get that little shit to wrap his cock up and please do not treat it as a Plan A every time. Just putting this here because lets be real, PEOPLE HAVE SEX. HOW THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU WERE MADE?

Whenever you feel unwell, see a doctor. To be a student in Australia it is compulsory for you to obtain a medical insurance. Which means you are covered! Take your time and go through it, check out what you should do whenever you get sick, where are the nearest General Practitioner (GP). From my understanding (which I have only learned after being in Australia), how it usually work is whenever you are unwell, you could visit your nearest GP, and they will provide you with a prescription. Depending on which insurance company you are on, you would then inform them on the payments you have made for the consultation, and you will get full/certain amount of refund. On most cases you would have to pay for the medications yourself but their prices are usually reasonable.

#5 Miscellaneous

• On my case, my landlord happens to also be a good friend of mine. Even thou he was not there when I arrived, he sent me pictures of my room and I could clearly see what I needed. I cheekily went online to check on prices of bed sheets for double bed beforehand, and decided to purchase them before flying over as the prices were cheaper. they were not that thick so it did not added much weight onto my luggage.
• I also brought some of my favourite paint brushes in case I strive to be artsy during my free time. Brought a pencil case of basic stationary tools, important documents such as receipts for my school fees, CoE letter, visa approval print, offer letter and etc. Basically just be prepared and pack up what you deem as important before your school starts.
• Be sure to have a small amount of cash with you at the start. Here is a tip, most banks allow you to open up a bank account online before you even arrive. You can deposit money into it right away, but only allowed to do anything else after you have arrived and verify your identity by visiting the branch that you applied to. Commonwealth Bank is the bank I was with and I absolutely love their service and efficiency. Click [here] for more information on opening an account online!
• Average food prices range from $5 - $15, depending on where you dine.
• Cigarette prices are crazy compared to Asian country so if you are a smoker, bad news!
• If you live in the City of Melbourne, purchase a Myki card, and top it up with money. Click [here] for more information on public transports, and be sure to download the life saving train app [here]. Getting around is fairly simple but I will save that for another post someday.

Overall, you will be fine. Do not worry and think too much into it. Melbourne is a wonderful city and the locals are friendly. Go out and explore the city when you have time and make friends! Pick up a new hobby (my case, skateboarding), sit on grasses during the summer with your multicultural friends, explore the museums by yourself and be sure to enjoy a good coffee (Melbournians take their coffee very seriously)!

Good luck!

x

Graphic Design: Rachel Dental Surgery, Logo Design

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Australia: The Nobbies, Philip Island, Victoria

Packed my bags one morning and decided to go on a one-day trip to Philip Island with my housemate. When I said I packed my bags, I meant I stuffed it full with junk food. We managed to gather a small group of people to join us and lets just say it was a fun filled ride.

We visited a couple of different spots on the island, but the one that really stood out to me was The Nobbies. This area offers spectacular coastal viewing from the boardwalks and lookout points set amongst natural sea bird gardens. One and a half kilometres offshore from The Nobbies are Seal Rocks, home to Australia’s largest Australian Fur Seal colony.

It was a great day when we visited, it was blustery and the views were amazing, watching the waves smash up on the rocks was spectacular. The boardwalk was a great way to see the coastline, we didn't see any seals sadly, but overall it was still a wonderful experience.

   

x

Storytime: A piece from Cambodia

What is your most memorable experience from travelling?

I would say, it was this very small fraction of my time in Cambodia. To be honest I do not know where to start, my memory is all over the place.

It was a couple of weeks before Ray's birthday and it all started from me randomly looking at flights one night and the question 'Hey, wanna go Cambodia?', 'Yeah why not?' and it was that simple to put ourselves on a 10 hours flight to Asia. I was ecstatic, could not wait to get away from the cold in Melbourne that time and was pretty excited to help him have a wonderful birthday celebration.

Fast forward the next thing I knew we were getting picked up from our hotel one morning and was dropped off at a quad biking company. We each got ourselves a bike and I remember Ray being absolutely terrified on me ended up killing myself.

The weather was gloomy and there was not a single ray of sunshine. You can tell a storm was brewing but that obviously did not stop us. Our guide was a local Cambodian guy, who is about our age. I could not exactly recall his name so lets call him Min. Min works for an Italian middle aged man who runs the place. He was spoken to rudely and I could tell that the boss definitely do not fit the criteria of a good employer.

Min was a little unnatural at the start. He conversed with us in his limited English and seemed to me was just repeating the exact same things he usually does to any other customers. He explained the rules, how the bike work, some safety precautions and etc. Even so he remained polite, soft spoken and calm the whole time. Not to forget he always have a smile on his face.

We rode off to the main road together after a mini test drive in the neighbourhood. Min has his own motorcycle and leaded the way. After 30 minutes, the bustling Siem Reap disappeared in sight. No longer you will see tourists in their elephant pants with a cup of fresh juice in their hand, or repetitive shops that targets tourist only. The roads turned rocky and we were being surrounded by paddy fields that are so wide, you could never see the end of it. Water buffaloes, wooden houses where the locals reside, kids chasing after you waving and laughing like it is supposed to be a game. It is very weird to think 30 minutes from where we were, things could be this different.

We made a short stop for drinks in one of the local stalls. The owner and his friends spoke to Min and they looked at me and Ray in awe. Min turned around and said 'They ask where are you guys from?'. I just smiled and said Malaysia. We offered Min some cigarettes, he took one and thank us. He also noted that during our whole journey if we do need breaks, just wave and let him know. We nodded and pointed at him 'You too!', which made him laugh. He said no one has ever told him that before. I was not surprised to be honest.

After that short break Min let his guards down, I could see himself relaxed a little more around us. At one point he drove us down some random paddy field, and went 'drive anywhere'. Me and Ray looked at each other surprised. Is this man for real? Min said he was not supposed to bring us here and should have just stayed on the road, but this has always been his secret place. He stated that he only brings customers that he likes here and assure us that it is safe as he grew up in this area and knows the place like the back of his hands.

We ended up going crazy on the field. Going up and down the bumps and riding straight into poodle of water just to soak each other with mud. At one point it started pouring heavily but we did not even care. Once a while we will see lightning strikes and writing this now, I realize we could have got hit and be dead HAHAHA.

Anyway.

I genuinely thought we were going to wreck the bike because we went full savage mode on it. Ray blurted out halfway that it is the best birthday he ever had. It went on for about 2 hours, I stopped and looked at Min, signalling him that we should probably head back as our promised time was only 3-4 hours. The distance itself would take us about an hour so we should all probably get going.

Min looked at his watch and said 'Don't care! Today rain! No business anyway!' Which made us laughed so hard. Even so the rain got too heavy and I was starting to shiver really badly. We ended up leaving the fields and took another break in some random stall. There we had a very long conversation with each other. We told Min where we are both from, how we ended up meeting in Australia, and being here. He was so amazed by our story and gave the two of us a thumbs up. He also said 'Good couple!', that there bit made me chuckled.

After all the shameless talk about ourselves, Ray asked about his story. Turned out that he just entered this company. Only gets paid $150 a month and regarding that day, due to the rain, all the older employees refused to bring us out on a tour and instead, pushed Min into doing the job as he was the youngest. Min said his family does farming, and literally self thought himself English by being in the city and forcing himself to converse with tourists. If you do not speak basic English, the only job you can have without an education, is literally to farm.

I ask Min how is he surviving with $150 a month. He said sometimes he gets a little more from tipping, but these days lots of tourist do not really give tips anymore. Trust me I was sceptical too at the start. Is this man telling me his sappy life story so that we would tip him in the end of the day, but I can tell when someone is being genuine or fake, Min is definitely a respectable hardworking young man. The way he told his story was not like he was trying to fish for sympathy. He was telling it for the way it is and in the end, he let us know that he does not feel sorry for himself as his situation is a lot better than a lot of Cambodians.

Min asked us where are we going after Cambodia. We said we are returning to Australia. What he said next hit really close to my heart. He looked up to the ceiling and with a very fainted smile, said:

'You guys have to know how lucky you are, some people like me, can only dream   about going to Australia.'

We returned to Melbourne shortly after, tanned, happy and fruitful in the heart. Walked into my fancy apartment room with a spectacular view. I dropped my backpack on the floor, sat down and just had to take a moment to feel thankful for everything that I was given in this life. I always preach about being thankful but to really remember it is hard innit? We are all so spoiled rotten that we constantly complain about the slightest petty things. My room is too warm, I have got not enough money, why is my job so tough, why can I not travel more, balancing uni and work is hard, why is my laptop so shitty, etc. When out there, someone is surviving with $150 a month for him and his family.

You see, the trip was memorable partially because quad bikes are awesome and I would definitely do it again; but also because Min has been a great guide, a great person, and a great friend. I felt like at that point of my life, I was taking lots of things in my life for granted and the universe arranged me and Min to meet because it wanted my ass to sit the fuck down and be grounded. I know it sounds trippy, but I do believe you meet people in life for a reason. Some you would never ever meet again, like Min. All I have of Min now, is a picture of his old motorcycle, not even his real name.

Thank you Min, sending lots of love your way, hope all is well with you.
I am also sorry for being the crazy couple that placed your life in danger under a thunderstorm.

x

Digital Art: My little cousin Adrian

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Malaysia: Mahua Waterfall, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

GPS location: 5.796761, 116.408407 [source]. Local name: "Air Terjun Mahua".

I remember how chilly it felt in the midst of the shady forest. How the streams and the mist blazing off the majestic waterfall just cools everything down. There was a couple of local kids swimming whenever we got there. We somehow managed to make friends. From trying to catch tiny fishes to competing who can stay the longest underneath the fall, it was all great fun.

The best part would be your first dip into the water. Water is freezing and I actually think if your body is not strong enough, you will get hypothermia. It was funny to watch each other shiver like mad, giggling while covering our body with our barehands as if it was going to help with anything. Beware of leeches and falling rocks. Remember to bring your own snacks and drinks but please do not litter unless you are an oxygen wasting cunt.

x

Australia: Brighton Beach, Melbourne

For a shed, these beach huts could apparently go up to $260,000. [1]

To be honest, I just think it is a really cool place to take photos. The only thing I could learn to appreciate is the art that are painted individually on these bathing boxes. Everything is so vibrant and colourful, making it the perfect location to take travel photos. Exactly why it is infested with tourists.

Other than that I think the beach was okay, would not say it is spectacular. Brighton Beach is easily accessible by train. Assuming you are coming from Melbourne CBD, hop on a Sandringham train and get off at Brighton Beach Station. Keep walking along the beach and you would see the row of beautiful boxes. Make sure you bring enough water to keep yourself hydrated and apply sunscreen if it is during the summer. I remember there was not a lot of stores nearby, which means inconvenience if you are looking for a quick drink or snack.

I guess I made the mistake of having too much expectation before heading there. Certain areas of the sand has really sharp rocks so might want to consider keeping them thongs on before you find the perfect spot. None of the bathing boxes were open to view when I went, which is understandable as I found out later on that they are all private properties. I am not so sure about the exact numbers of boxes but it was not that much. I pictured it to cover the whole stretch.

Even so, I respect the fact that it is historical and cultural resource. It is the only remaining structure of its kind close to Melbourne CBD. If you would love to add some beautiful colours into your photo album, I would still recommend you to visit this lovely place.

x

Cambodia: Kbal Spean, Siem Reap

Blogged about my experience in Angkor Wat here.

Angkor Wat was amazing, but I have to admit the temples get repetitive after a while. We were yearning for a little more nature and the boyfriend fancied a swim in some ice cold waterfall. After doing a bit of research we found this spectacular spot and decided to take an hour ride there.

A short hike up the mountain was needed so make sure you wear the right shoes for it! For someone 'athletic' like me, we took about 45 minutes to get to the top. It was not that hard of a hike but definitely keep an eye out for certain danger spots as it gets a bit muddy and slippery during monsoon season.

It is definitely worth the climb. You will arrive at a spectacular river bed, which is also known as 'River of thousand Lingas', with Lingas carved into the riverbed. With lesser tourist (maybe because people do not fancy exercising during their holidays) you get to really enjoy the peacefulness and serenity of the forest. Also very lovely to take a cold water dip in the waterfall after a long sweaty hike. I was astonished by the beauty of this place and would definitely recommend anyone visiting Siem Reap to give it a go.

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