the last 2 days are frantic days as we try to get as much done as possible in terms of getting all the administrative work done. the checklist that i aggregated from friends and relatives on what to do include the following:1. get tax file number for all members of the family. (done)2. get a local mobile number since one will need it for contact information. in most government and private transaction, an australia mobile number is required. (done)3. register with centrelink. went there but were told to attend a phone interview first before our application can be processed. (pending)4. register with medicare. was told that the immigration will need 10 days for the our entry record to be updated so we need to return in early december 08.5. driver's license conversion. tried on monday but were told that we need to attend an interview. not sure why but we were given an appointment this monday to do our interview and conversion. (pending)6. set-up a bank account and get a credit card. (done)7. buy a car. (done)8. call up and visit real estate shops to pick up the rent list (partially done)9. driving around the suburbs to get a feel on what is a good place to live (on-going)the 2 biggest ticket items are housing and car. i am keen to get the latter done quickly so i can focus on the former. plus i only had the rental for a week.
of the two, getting a house has proven to be the most daunting so far. unlike back home where these real estate agent bend over backwards to get your business; here, it seems like i need to be the one doing the pursuit. when i called up agents to register an interest, calls were unreturned in some cases and in others, i was told to leave my number and they will call me back. when we did a house visit earlier today, the agent made no attempt to tell us what's good, what's not about the house. after a while, we didn't bother as well. i guess it is still a seller's market out there. this will be my main worry. i need to secure a house so i can register my children in a school. and my container is coming. so, good timing is paramount here.
getting a car is the 2nd hardest thing we need to sort out after housing. as mentioned, i am keen to get this out of the way asap. luckily, my cousin han chung has been really helpful with the sites on where to look for car sales online and also doing checks online to ensure that the car is in good order, i.e. not written-off or stolen. so, i am able to do a bit of homework prior to the actual car-hunting. and since the car will primarily be driven by cecilia [i plan to commute to work by cycling, but the hilly roads in the glen waverly/vermont area is really daunting; so this will be another story in another day ;-)], i need to consider her requirements as well. she wanted a 7 seater since she anticipate that she will need to ferry her relatives who may come over to visit her. i wanted a strong and safe car for her as safety is paramount here since she will be new to the driving environment here. we had thought of getting the same car we had in singapore, which is a japanese mpv, but since there is a new model due in april 09, i decided against it as the value will depreciate a lot faster and japanese car safety feature will not match the continentals. knowing that she will not venture far, i decided on a volvo 7 seater wagon as the kids can take the 3rd row seats in the event there are visitors. it also will be bearable for them as the distance covered will also be short. i have originally wanted a v70 wagon but the one i was eyeing got sold by the time i got here, so i settled for the xc70 instead. the seller is really a nice guy. he is volvo-trained and run a service workshop specializing on volvo repair/maintainence. he threw in 2 free services for the next 12 months, so i reckon it is a good deal since i won't have to worry about where to send the car to for servicing if i were to buy from another car dealer or a private seller. coming from singapore, i (obviously) did a bad job at bargaining as i was accustomed to high car price back home. so, i am pretty sure i came out short as i only managed to take off a$200 from him after a protracted negotiation. i guess i need to do a better job next time.by the way, shi qi loves the car. you could tell by the picture.
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