EOI

EOI stands for Expression of Interest. It is also the next step upon receiving a successful skills assessment from your relevant assessment authority, in my case AITSL.

You can find all the pertinent information from this website.

It is important to note that an EOI is exactly just that, an expression of interest. It does not quantify as an application for a visa. It basically lets the Australian immigration department know that you are interested in migrating to Australia.

You'll go through a 13 step process where you'll key in pieces of information that you've gathered thus far - your employment records, your educational certificates, the IELTS results and any skills assessment by relevant Australian agencies.

At the end of it all, they'll compute your points and let you know if your EOI can be completed. You can always return to update your EOI as circumstances in your life change.

At the moment I have 65 points of which 25 of them come from being in the age group 33 - 39.
That will all change in April 2015 when I move into the next category of 40 - 44, which would only qualify for 15 points.
If that's the case then I would fall below the threshold of 60 points by only accumulating 55 points, so time is definitely of the essence.

Now that the EOI has been submitted, the dice has been cast. Of particular importance to me is the description on the website which states "You can receive up to 30 points based on the age you were on the day you were invite to apply (for the visa)".

Fingers crossed that I'll receive an invitation to apply for the visa before my birthday in 2015. On a side note, the processing time for visa subclass 189 is 3 months.

Lesson here? Don't leave off making a decision so late that the timings become too tight.


Browsing around on the website, under 'Invitation Rounds', several pieces of information stood out.
1) Invitations are issued twice a month.
2) Next invitation round is on 9 Jan 2015. (I wonder if there's a backlog that'll fill up the invitations or if mine would fall under this round)
3) You can find out the number of visas they are offering for each round - for subclass 189, there will be 1400 places on offer for 9 Jan.

***
4) Invitation process and cut-offs:

• The highest ranked by points score are invited to apply first. 
• Equal points cases will be separated by the time at which they reached their points score for the subclass.
• EOIs with earlier dates of effect are invited before later dates.

Have attached a screenshot of the results for 14 Nov 2014 for reference with regards to the points just mentioned above.

Under 'Occupational Ceilings' you can find out how many spots they have allocated for your occupation for the year. Apparently, Australia needed 7002 Secondary School Teachers this year (the 2nd highest ceiling of all occupations) and only 229 spots have been allocated. Whilst I am happy that there is room to spare, I cannot help but wonder at the dearth of teachers in Australia.

AITSL registered mail

A belated Christmas gift arrived today in the mail. Certainly brought some cheer when it arrived!

After receiving notification on the 11th Dec that my assessment was completed, the results are finally here and favourable. We can start our application process :)

Upon opening the mail, I found 3 letters from AITSL;
1) Assessment for migration certificate
2) Skills assessment certificate (for awarding points based on the Qualifications and English Language Ability component)
3) Skilled employment claim (for awarding points based on the Skilled Employment component)

Just a quick recap;

Started with the IELTS on 19th and 20th September
Received IELTS results on 3rd October
Spent a bunch of time collating the necessary (Statement of Employment, Practicum statement etc)
AITSL assessment sent on 22nd October
AITSL notification that assessment was completed  11th December
AITSL registered mail received 26 December

All done roughly in the space of 3 months. Now on to the next step.

Tech Stuff - Smart Unlock

I love the functionality that Android has to offer, love the freedom that it allows its users to do whatever they wish to their phones.

Customization - clear icons, widgets, launcher

Now I would prefer to use my device without the trouble of unlocking it every single time. There used to be a time when I did not bother to lock it with a pin or pattern but having lost a device once and the resulting trouble that ensued, that was no longer viable.

Next up was experimenting with certain apps that would recognize when I was in a 'safe' environment and allow the usage of the phone without any hassle. This was a year or so ago though and maybe technology wasn't ready yet because it wasn't seamless, resulting in missed calls and stuff.

Which was why I was happy to hear that in Android Lollipop, devices would have the ability to unlock when near a trusted location. Unfortunately though, Android 5.0 has yet to appear on Samsung Note 3s in Singapore.

Meanwhile, an app - Smart Unlock, has appeared in the Play Store that allows your device to function without being unlocked while connected to a trusted Wifi or Bluetooth device - which actually strikes me as a more secure method compared to Trusted Places by Android. Best of all? Root is not required.

Sadly I then found out that the developers claimed that Samsung had modified the native lockscreen in Android and the app doesn't work with Samsung devices. Still this should be useful for people on other devices.

The app (Smart Unlock) is free for trial for 7 days and available for purchase at 99 cents during this Christmas period.

Spark of madness

Robin Williams made me a laugh, brought me much happiness through his movies. For that I'll be forever thankful. I probably loved him most in Mrs Doubtfire, a role that gave him much room for comedic expression.

It's been a few months since his death which has been attributed to suicide due to depression so why am I talking about him now?

I came across a quote attributed to Williams, "You're only given a little spark of madness. You musn't lose it." and wondered idly how many of us have lost that spark of madess. How many of us have had it ironed out of us by the uniformity that society (or at least Singaporean society) expects us to conform to. How many of us have tried to be different only to be gently or otherwise guided back to the tried and tested path because it was safer and because it's always been so and to do otherwise is to invite the possibility of 'otherness'.

I worry about this because at times in the education industry, I worry that we are 'educating' the uniqueness out of our younger generation.

Anyway, I always felt that he approached his movies differently, genuinely - there was always a sense that he vested a part of himself in his movies. He will be missed.

#illridewithyou

Followed the whole #Sydneysiege story yesterday and while glad that it's over, am saddened by the loss of innocent lives - Katrina Dawson, 38, a mother of 3 and Tori Johnson, 34. The sad thing about incidents like these are the ripples they create. The three children will now grow up in a world devoid of their mothers' love.

All these and what for? A political message? A show of support for ISIS? A cry for attention?Pathetic.

Looking for the silver lining though, have been greatly heartened by the show of support for Australian Muslims in the form of the #illridewithyou campaign that's going on.

They will need it, for without doubt there will be people who cannot look beyond the idiocy of one man, instead choosing to paint a whole demographic with the same brush. Already one incident - here.

Cooking Daddy: Steamed Chicken with Red Dates and Wolfberries

Cooked this for dinner yesterday. Kids didn't mind it and J like it, so this recipe is a keeper. Needs a little tweaking to make it better.

Ingredients used:

• wolfberries (rinse and dry - instead of soak)
• red dates (soak - remember to drain and cut)
• 2 chicken thighs (maybe 1 more piece)
• slices of ginger to be julienned (forgot that on my first try)
• 1 tsp light soya sauce
• 1 tsp rice wine
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp flour
• white pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Mix all ingredients together and cover to let it marinate. 
2. Place everything in a steamer, on low for 45 minutes.
3. Check if cooked by sticking a chopstick through the meat to see if juices run clear else continue steaming.

Notes to self:

• 45 minutes might have been too long. Chicken was a little tough. Check in on it earlier.
• Use a little bit more salt.

Weatherwise

I must have been a polar bear in my previous life.

On our recent trip to USA, we started out in wonderful cold weather in New York and Washington, both places which I would have loved to see more of. I only fell sick when I hit Orlando in sunny Florida - the one place where temperatures were Singapore-like. There must be a message in there!

On my way back, I kept wondering what the weather would be like all year round in Perth or Melbourne so upon our return, a little Googling was in order.

As you can see from the picture in the middle, there's no real let-up in Singapore weather. You get it in one single flavour - HOT. Melbourne weather has its highs and lows and I've read that it could go from sunny one moment to frigid the next. Perth weather looks really nice, except I can see myself dreading summers.

We'll see where we end upbut there are so many things to consider.

AITSL notification!

Received email from AITSL this morning!

My evaluation is done. No word on whether it's successful or not.
Went over to their website to check if it provided more information but it was more of the same.

Now all I have to do is wait another 5 working days for them to post the results and then I'll know if we can proceed with our plans.

I had sent in my application on 22 Oct so it has been 51 days - travel time included. Not too bad considering they had mentioned that the process could take up to 10 weeks.

Ouch. Just saw the message that delivery of outcome to an address outside Australia could take up to 3 weeks.

Ah the waiting.

Massive Chalice

I have a bad habit when it comes to gaming.

I start games but I seldom finish them.

Massive Chalice is the latest game I've got my hands on. It's a game by a company named Double Fine, which is founded by Tim Schafer - who had worked on some of the games that I'd liked in the past - Grim Fandango, The Secret of Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge amongst others.

Anyway long story short, his new company pitched an idea on Kickstarter about a dynastic game spanning ages in which the player guided the populace in pushing back against the Cadence (bad guys). What piqued my interest was the ability to nurture bloodlines in the hope of gathering in that bloodline all the powerful traits/personalities that would help turn the tide of battle in favour of the Massive Chalice that is guiding your kingdom. (yeah the Chalice is huge and it speaks)

Beta codes were recently released for Kickstarter backers and I've finally managed to play the game and I love it!

Traits and personality of each knight

Kingdom map

Tactical map - X-Com anyone?

Choosing your heroes before they jump into the Chalice

You do your planning on the kingdom map, deciding where to place your keep and crucible etc. Combat is resolved in a turn-based style map, akin to X-COM of old.

Because the traits that your champions have is so important, you really feel each loss as they fall in combat. The mobs are well designed too, for example, Lapses (those pale blue thingies in the upper right hand corner of the screen) manipulate time so each hit they land on your knights, they reverse time and your knights lose whatever experience they've gained in that time. Currently it's at -150 XP per hit. That's rough when you consider that you only get roughly half of that for each Lapse you kill.

In each keep, there's also a list of all the champions that have fallen for each House.

From time to time as you're playing the game, you'll be presented with random events - a stranger coming out from the Cadence, a teacher seeking your permission to bring students to your castle even down to unhappiness over the marriages you've arranged.

All in all, it's a great game that's really appealing to me.

Old scars

Out of curiosity on my next visit back to my Dad's place, I went to check out the incident I described in my 13th Oct post. The one where I grazed my Dad's car on this huge block on the roadside.

I've driven past this countless times since then but did not realize that it was still there.

Old scars indeed.

Guess I've at least left my mark on this Earth :)

Passage of time

Had a horrid time while doing invigilation yesterday.

It was my own fault for not sleeping earlier and it made every single minute of invigilation feel like an endless moment. 
On the best of days, invigilation is already a test of endurance so yesterday was bad, really bad.

Over the day, I kept revisiting time ... mainly because I would look up at the clock every once in a while and wince when I realized that only a minute or two had passed.
This was so in contrast though with how the students were feeling.

We were all trapped in the same classroom.
Different reasons no doubt but sharing the same moment.
 

The students work on their papers
They glance at the clock and silently curse at it.
60 revolutions of the second hand
Had never gone so fast.
The teacher watches the students 
He glances at the clock and silently curses at it.
60 revolutions of the second hand
Had never gone so slow.
The sharing of the same moment.

Broaden that a little if you will and think about our shared lives in Singapore.
We have packed so many things to do in our lives, so many things to buy in our lives that life is flashing by. It has been remarked, more often than once that time seems to fly past, the older we get. Personally, I think it resembles a bell curve with the peak arriving at the time you are most economically valuable to Singapore, with a gradual winding down as you approach retirement (and hopefully not a sudden crash).

What would it be like if we could unclutter our lives?
What would it be like if we could uncomplicate our lives?
That one hour you just spent pouring over that unmarked script 
That one hour someone just spent nursing a cup of coffee at the park.

What is your time worth to you and what will you do about it?

My children ...

Indulge me for a moment.

Think back to the moment your child was born, the moment you held that little bundle of life in your arms, the moment you realised that you were a Father or Mother.

What were the thoughts running through your mind?
I remember being very happy and wishing that my little one would grow up to be healthy and happy.

Healthy and Happy.
So simple and yet we sometimes make it so hard. I must constantly remind myself that that's what I want for them.

Somewhere along the line, as our children grow up, we start tagging on labels or things to be - Hardworking, Smart, Successful, Clever, Responsible etc etc ...

I am not saying that those are bad things to be but we  must not lose sight of that feeling we had as we first held them ...

Gaming craze ...

With the school year finally winding down, it's time to indulge one of my hobbies gaming. That's not an easy thing to do because of the holiday season coming up and games publishers pushing out title after title!

Been looking at these few games - Endless Legend (bought), Civilization Beyond Earth, Shadow of Mordor (bought), NBA2K15 (bought), GTA V, FM2015., FIFA15,

Still playing - Guild Wars 2, FM2014, Civ 5, Hawken, Heroes Charge (mobile), Marvel Puzzle Quest (mobile)

I play them every year and I still keep going back for more. It's just small changes here and there but I cannot seem to get enough of Football Manager and NBA games. NBA2K15 is really nice this year, am loving every minute of it so far!

Was hunting for games the other day and realised that there were online 3rd party retailers selling CD keys for cheaper prices than Steam. Had used services like these back in the early days of WoW but had stopped because Steam made buying of games so convenient. Anyway, this was what I used to purchase Endless Legend for a cheaper price than could be found on Steam.

While I was reading about Steam pricing of games, I also came across an article on ST that basically attributed the stubborn refusal of prices to fall despite digital distribution to publishers and retailers in Singapore. Link is here.

Lastly, while I'm on gaming issues. Do wish that more of my friends were gamers. It's lonely at times in MMOs without friends.

I will miss ...

List of foods/stuff that will be missed. (other than family)

1. minced meat, mushroom, kway teow dry with ketchup
2. white carrot cake
3. black carrot cake
4. char siew and roasted meat rice
5. the sound of rain in Singapore
6. chicken rice

Banks and transfer of money

It's early days yet but looking ahead, am already wondering about the logistics of the move. One of the things that came up was how to move our money from Singapore to Oz?

We could move it by cash. There is no limit to the amount of cash you can bring into Australia but amounts of $10000 or more have to be reported. There are no fees associated though with carrying physical currency. Let's leave that on the back-burner though think about the banks.

According to Wikipedia, in Australia, the big four banks are National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ). Between them, they hold 80% of the home loan markets etc etc.

Decided to take a look at the four banks and see what they had to offer;

Commonwealth Bank (CBA):

1. Dedicated page for migrant banking @ link 
2. Open up to 3 months in advance
3. Bank online (NetBank - Australia's #1 online bank)
4. Access to the largest ATM and branch network (4300) in Australia
5. Need to go to an Oz branch before you can withdraw money
6. Email the Migrant Financial Services at mfs@cba.com.au
7. Able to open the account in SG. Call 8006162219
8. Rate check on 31 Oct, AUD 1 = SGD 1.073300
9. No monthly account fees for first 12 months.
10. Debit Mastercard ready to collect upon arrival in Oz.
11. Unlimited electronic transactions free of withdrawal fees

Westpac:

1. Dedicated page for migrant banking @ link
2. Open up to 12 months prior to arriving in Australia
3. Bank online (Westpac Online Banking)
4. Access to Westpac ATMs network (2800 - 3000)
5. Need to go to Oz branch before you can withdraw money
6. Email Westpac Choice at migrantbank@westpac.com.au
7. If calling from Singapore. 8006167062
8.  Rate check on 31 Oct, AUD 1 = SGD 1.07
9. No monthly service fee for first 12 months. Conditions apply after that.

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ):

1. Dedicated page for migrant banking @ link
2. Open up to 12 months in advance
3. Call them at 66818041. Branch is at 50 Raffles Place, #01-03 Singapore Land Tower
4. Rate check on 31 Oct, AUD 1 = SGD 1.0740
5. Access to the ANZ ATM network (2600)
6. ANZ Internet Banking - visit anz.com
7. Need to visit an ANZ branch to complete identification process. If you visit the branch after 6 weeks of arriving, you need to bring additional identification documentation etc.
8. No number offered for SG to call but all calls can be directed to +44 (0) 203 229 2436, +61 3 8699 6943.
9. Fee structure is muddled but goes something like this
1. $5 monthly fee waived if you deposit $2000 a month
2. waived for 12 months from your application date when you apply online
3. The only time you'll incur additional fee is if you overdraw or transact overseas.

National Australia Bank (NAB):

1. Dedicated page for migrant banking @ link
2. Open up to 12 months in advance and have been in Australia for less than 6 weeks
3. Access to NAB ATM network (3400)
4. ATM access in 8 different languages, Chinese being one of them - if that's important to you.
5. Free to set up, no minimum deposit or balance requirements.
6. No monthly account keeping fees
7. Email them at nab.migrant.banking@nab.com.au
8. Call them at 6419700 (0900 - 1700, Mon to Fri). Branch is at 12 marina View #20-02 Asia Square Tower 2
9. Dedicated migrant banker allocated upon application.
10. Rate check on 31 Oct, AUD 1 = SGD 1.0746

Yet to arrive at a decision but of all the 4 websites I've visited, ANZ was the most confusing. If I have to make a decision now, would definitely lean towards CBA, Westpac or NAB.

WWF Live Planet Report 2014

Read a report which had Singapore at 7th position on the list of countries with the largest ecological footprint.

USA is 8th and Australia is 13th.

Amazingly, China is 76th, way below the world average.

Take a closer look though and note that even if you add up all 7 countries on the list before USA and you won't even have a land mass close to it.

This is how they calculate the ecological footprint ... The size and composition of a nation’s per capita Ecological Footprint is determined by the goods and services used by an average person in that country, and the efficiency with which resources, including fossil fuels, are used in providing these goods and services.

Basically, the countries ranked at the top of the list are there because they import most of the stuff they use. Consider their small sizes and the chances they have of being self-sufficient based on their own resources and you arrive at the problem I have with the report.

Not doubting that humans are living beyond the means of the Earth to support but questioning the way the report goes about formulating its results.

Statement of Employment

Don't read on if you're not a MOE teacher. This post will mean nothing to you.

Teachers can approach HR for a consolidated statement of employment - they will not however list down for you the number of working hours. Even then, I felt it was worth the trouble because the MOE statement looked as if it carried more gravitas.

If you're determined to have that in writing you will have to approach the AMs of each school that you've taught in. There is apparently no agreed upon number of working hours so you'll have to arrange with each of them.

Hassle, hassle, hassle.

Skills assessment sent!

Just a quick note;

22nd Oct - Date that skills assessment was sent to AITSL.

How sudden a move?

Thinking back, in February we were looking at condominiums. First around our area, then further away, always coming back to the conclusion that we would be priced out anyway, especially by the hefty down-payment.

Next we explored options to buy a small property in Geylang for rental purposes but came up empty again.

Followed that up by looking at property in the Dangar Bay area but was not totally sold on the idea.

It looked like we would not be able to own a piece of property that we could pass on to our kids.

I even switched to planning for renovations for our flat once we hit the 15 to 20 year mark, just to freshen things up - meaning hopefully, we'd leave a larger nest egg once we passed on.

Step back though and look at the whole process. Would my kids have it any easier or would they still be caught in the same circle? Would they, like us, be caught in this life of constantly servicing loans and debts till they are no longer economically viable in the eyes of Singapore?

Surely, there must be more ... whether we'd find that at the end of our move? I'm really not sure. It could turn out worse but we have to try. For all our sake.

At the very least, we won't have to pay 80 to 100k for a car that would have to be condemned after 10 years - a renewable debt, designed to keep you working.

Dad, we want to migrate ...

Years ago, when I first received my driving licence or maybe in between attempts at obtaining that driving licence, I had taken Dad's car out for a drive and was returning to the carpark, which at that time at the entrance/exit, featured these, for want of a better word, kerbstones, which were huge so that they stuck upwards from the kerb line. I had taken an acute turn into the carpark and the side of the door scrapped against the stone. It wasn't a gentle scrape either, there was the sound of stone grating on metal. I quickly parked the car, went over to the passenger seat and my heart dropped. There was one heck of a awful scar along the side of the door.

In that short space of time from the carpark up to the house, I must have run through a million ways to explain the scrape but in the end settled for the truth. To cut a long story short, I went back expecting to be yelled at for the rest of my life. The response I received shocked me and has guided me till this day in how I deal with my own kids. After, checking to make sure I was ok, all Dad offered was that the car was just a material object, all that mattered was that I was safe. The lesson really stuck with me and I've been forever thankful.

All my life, I was never really comfortable with hiding the truth. Hence it hasn't been easy the last few weeks.

Last week, Dad was finally informed of our decision to migrate (not that it's confirmed yet) but I thought it better that it didn't appear as a bolt out of the blue. I think he took it pretty well. I have my doubts how well but he appeared supportive. Is this an example of a parents' love? I certainly think so.

Next up was to let my sister know but during the weekend when we met up for our family dinner, it appeared Dad had already told her and some other family members! I had been planning to keep the circle small so if the move fell through, no big deal. Ah well. Anyway Sis took it well too. Now that both of them were told (I have a small family) and I was truly faced with the prospect of leaving them, leaving Singapore, the twinges in the heart started getting stronger. Dad's not young and I'd be basically leaving Sis to hold the fort. It doesn't matter how I rationalize the move, in my heart, I'm abandoning them. Don't really care what other people say about our move to Australia but this is a conversation I need to have with myself, in greater detail.

On the other side, Jas is getting really worried about what she's going to say to Mother. She's going to wait till the skills assessment is done before deciding when to tell. Personally, I'm worried too. Mother's looked after S and D since they were young. It will not be an easy goodbye.

One day, when S and D are old enough and they look me in the eyes and say "Dad, we want to migrate". How would I react? Would my heart break while smiling and encouraging them? I would like to think so but truthfully, I don't know. I don't. Were these the thoughts in Dad's mind as I told him? I don't know that either but thank you Dad.

Sale of flat

How much cash will you get if I decide to sell my HDB flat?

A few things I'll need to know...

1. How much  was the flat bought for? 
2. How much is the outstanding loan? (don't forget the dang interest)
3. How much do we need to repay CPF?
1. log on to https://www.cpf.gov.sg
2. Click on myStatement
3. Scroll down click on link that says Property
4. Click on "I wish to view My Public Housing Withdrawal Details"
4. What's the current resale price in your area? (check here)

I also realized that I'm really really bad at Math. :p

Cash I'll have in hand = resale price - CPF repayment - Outstanding Loan

Will update this if I run into any additional costs whilst letting go of the flat.

Things to bring

Have spent a little time lately, looking at the things we have at home and wondering if and when we do move what would we bring. Are our lives a sum of the things we own or a sum of our relationships? I'm siding for the latter but I cannot deny that the former has its moments.

Always considered myself as someone who's not hung up on the things I've owned but each moment I've spent thinking about it, the list of things to bring keeps growing. I think it is because I have so far been unable to differentiate between my needs and wants - or rather an inability to confront the fact that the move will greatly change our lives.

Anyway, would love to have with me (bear with me the impracticality of certain items), in no order of preference;

1) sister and my dad

2) my pillows and bolsters

3) Beanie, our hamster

4) my books ... oh my books.

5) PC and PS4

6) bicycle

7) my photo albums

8) oven (have got so used to the timings!)

9) my phones/tablets, basically my gadgets.

10) the plant my mom gave me for my wedding. The same one I've tended till this day.

And that is the sum of me that does not exist in me.

I'll have to ask J and kids and see what their lists are!

I do know J wants to move our wedding portrait heh.