For A Purpose

We’re finally in Melbourne!

Wahoo, we arrived in Melbourne safely Tuesday night at 8 pm Melbourne time. (Malaysian time would be 5 pm.) We actually set foot in Australia at 8 am Gold Coast time in the Gold Coast Airport. We spent about 7 hours in Gold Coast and boarded Tiger Airways at 4 pm to Melbourne.

Pastor Christopher Kee with his church member Margaret and her son Brandon picked us up from the airport last night. We are now staying in Uncle Christopher’s house. He has a nice basement-like room for us. We slept off at about 12 am yesterday and woke up at 12 pm today! We were dead tired cause’ we hardly slept since we left the LCCT airport. Thank God we’re here now and well rested.

We’re staying in Donald Road, Wheelers Hill – about 30 minutes from Melbourne city. The next suburb is Glen Waverley. (Now I know where Melissa Yeap’s gonna’ stay.) ;) But we haven’t really gone around – only to a complex at Brandon Park to buy some groceries and slippers. My parents made a bank account today, and my dad went to check out a car.

And oh, did you know that if you count dollar to dollar, buying food at the super mart is really cheap compared to M’sia! The muesli bars we bought are just 3$ and the 1 litre soft drinks are only 69 cents. Cereal is just 2 to 3$. And we buy fresh milk instead of powdered milk here. It’s all good – once my parents get a job. Haha. :D The home brands in Australia are cheap and they still have very strict quality control.

Food facts aside, I’d like to admit that the fact that I’ll be staying here and not going “home” still hasn’t sank in. Seriously! It’s funny to think that we’ll be residents here once we find a house and all. But God is good. He has opened so many doors for us. We are praying for God’s guidance and excited to begin new chapter in our lives.

At about 8 pm (the sun just set) just now, we came back from a very long walk at Jells Park. Man, I think we’ll love the life here. So laid back, so relaxed. :) And it’s safe for us kids walk about and ride around the neighbourhood. The weather’s so cool that you hardly sweat even when you jog. I love it. =)

We just had dinner with Uncle Chris, Aunty Annie, their 10-year-old son Samuel, Aunty Alice, a church friend Nigel, Aunty Margaret and Brandon. Now we’re playing PS2 in our hideout basement room. Brandon and Samuel are entertaining us with their pure goofiness. Haha. It's funny to think that now the only kids we know here are Brandon and Samuel. One's 15, the other is 10. Oh well, two friends are better than none! :P

So anyway, I’ll post some pictures so you get the idea of where we’re staying and what we’ve been up to. :D

Flying in Tiger Airways from Gold Coast to Melbourne. Jirene and Janna looks so tired here. Good thing I wasn't on camera. Hahaha.

At Pastor Chris' house! Here's our "basement-like" room. It's much colder down there. So we turn on the heater for awhile at night.

Posing with Aunty Alice's lazy lil' dog called Prince.

This is like a big balcony or veranda that's over the huge backyard downstairs.

Janna and I. And oh oh, guess who gave me those cool sunglasses as a farewell gift?

Zack! :D

Haha, I only opened it when I was boarding the plane. I really wanted sunglasses, you know. So it was a nice and useful gift. Haha. ;) Everyone has one of those here. And yes, they say that the weather's erratic in Melbourne. You can have four seasons in a day. So sometimes its sunny, sometimes its not.

Haha, back to my posing antics down at the backyard. Man, I'm just starting to discover there are so many more photo-snapping opportunities here! :D Whee.

Janna in the living room. They actually have a very nice fireplace. We don't use it in spring, though. Except when it happens to be exceptionally cold at night.

We went for a walk to Jells Park and took turns riding the 2 bikes. And did you know, we actually have to buy bike helmets in order to cycle here. In Malaysia, that might seem a bit funny. Haha. And oh, that's Samuel on the bike. He's 10. And his cheeks are always pink. I think it'll be our turn soon. :)

:D It's so, SO nice to take a walk and cycle here. It's so cooling in spring that you barely sweat. But oh my, summer's coming in a few weeks!

Taking a picture with Uncle Chris, Samuel, and Aunty Annie at the lake in Jells Park.

The three of us. :)

My dad and mum. And yes, this whole place is the park. There's even more than "this whole place" in the picture! So much land.

There are a lot of sign boards.

I found this one unique.

WRONG WAY, STOP, severe tyre damage. Do you know why?

SPIKES!!! Yes, its supposed to be one way only! The cars coming out from this road are safe, cause' from the opposite direction, the tyres can just roll over the spikes (it's "retractable", if that's the right word...).

But, if you try to drive into the park using this road, the spikes will not retract, and your tyres will be severely damaged. Haha, I found it quite a funny way to keep people from breaking the rules and driving into the park through a one way road.

Back from dinner at 8 pm. We had fish head curry! We were surprised when Aunty Margaret told us that the curry was bought ready-made from the local supermart - it tasted so authentic and yummy! Probably even better than back home. They even have durians here, and durian ice-cream, too! Haha.

Playing PS2 in our basement room after dinner. That's Brandon with Janna and Jirene in this shot.

Haha, it'd be a pleasure to pinch Samuel's cheeks. :P

So anyway, I've got to go now. I think it'll be awhile till I get the chance to post pictures and update. So we'll keep in touch yea. Check my blog every now and then, I'll be sure to keep you guys posted!

Till then, take care and g'day mates (try imagining it with an Aussie accent)! Harhar. ;)