No Excuses!

 I have no excuses.  I have totally neglected the blog.  Yes life has been very busy and I cant even remember where I left off! We have just returned from a fantastic 2 week break in the Eastern Mediterranean and although I would like to say we have come back refreshed and ready to go, I think I need a holiday after my holiday! Just wanted to let you know the blog is still active and I promise to do better!  Will post a photo dump soon!

Here We Go!!

We are off and running on next adventure! We arrived in Kuala Lumpur last Monday night. To say it has been wild is an understatement! My apologies for not updating you all sooner but it has been all systems go since our arrival! 

We arrived quite late but thankfully we had beds made up for us in our new home. It is a “furnished” apartment but a very loose definition of the word. Whilst we have the basics like beds, couches and TV’s it will be up to us to fill it with the things we take for granted. Our shipment has not arrived yet so for now we have a cardboard box for a rubbish bin and a small assortment of items supplied by work in a “settling in kit” which we return when our things arrive. Living the minimalist lifestyle! No complaints here though as the view from our lounge more than makes up for it. 

Hit the shops early to buy some food the next day and we are ordering plenty of Grab deliveries which is KL’s Uber. 

Scarlett and I have been out to visit her school and Nick has barely skipped a beat getting back in to work mode. Thankfully I do not return to work until the new year so I can really get us all settled. 

Went and bought some plants to liven the place up which were an absolute steal. 

Perhaps the hardest part of all is that Alby is still in Quarantine. It’s been the longest 11 days! The pet relocation company has someone who visits him every day and he sends us video updates. (We are not allowed to visit). I am assured he is fine but we can’t wait to be reunited TOMORROW!!!

I can’t imagine what he has been through and what he must be thinking but it’s nearly over! 

Once I have my computer set up I will be able to provide more updates on a much more regular basis. For now just know we made and all is well! 

Empty

 

Well, the uplifts are done. Half of our belongings are on their way to KL and the other half we won’t see for a few years! I culled as much as I could. It’s a very weird feeling to take a stocktake of EVERYTHING you own. Quite a reality check and a reminder to stop buying stuff! (Let’s see how that works out!) The house is empty and nearly ready for rental. Side note, I’m a bit of a clean freak and was horrified at how dirty things are when the place is empty. I mean I know you can’t clean behind the fridge every week but OMG! It’s a beautiful family home and I really hope we can find a family who love it as much as we do and they can create some happy memories there over the next few years. 

While Nick and I spend a few nights at a local hotel (and it’s literally nights as we spend the days getting the house sorted), Quiddy and Alby have the place to themselves. Alby bless him is super confused. If the disruption of a house full of removalists for days on end wasn’t enough he is now wandering around looking for his “stuff”. Thank God for Quiddy who has been Albys one constant. No greater love than a boy and his dog! 

Tomorrow is our last full day here as we leave on Monday. A day of goodbyes, and, for those who know me well, also known as “my worst nightmare”. I absolutely hate goodbyes and usually avoid at all costs.

Time seems to have gotten away from us and I don’t think we will have the chance to raise glasses with so many people whom we would  have loved to have seen before we go. It’s ok though as we know we will see them soon. Whether it be here in Australia or even better visiting us in KL. 

30 Days Out!

 

In the crate Alby! You need to get IN the crate!!

So we are 30 days out! It’s been a crazy time to say the least. As far as our plans are going….we are getting there. Slowly, but we are getting there. 

I am methodically working through sorting what is coming with us and what is going to be stored in Australia. We will have 2 uplifts. One for export and one for storage here. It’s actually quite cathartic to take stock of what possessions you have and have a big “Marie Kondo” purge of thing that don’t bring me joy. Aside from the fact I can’t throw out the kids (kidding!) I have offloaded huge amounts of “stuff” that we have accumulated over the years. The benefits of this not being our first posting are huge as I am being ruthless. I can clearly recall unpacking when we got home from Vietnam  and thinking “What the hell were we thinking keeping this!”  

We are also preparing the house for rental which involves such fun things as new gas pipes, new stormwater drains, electrical checks, new front fence, front stair upgrade, new roof and general improvements to make it a solid and safe rental for potential tenants. 

We are in the midst of year 12 exams for Christopher who is handling it like a trooper. 

 If I could sum it up at the moment, and I hope you will pardon the language, shit’s getting real! 

Grief Is The Price You Pay For Love

Albys turn!

 So the rest of us have endured the pain of numerous vaccinations in order to be cleared for post. Yesterday was our beautiful dog Alby's turn for his medical. As I have previously posted, it’s a bit of a process to export a dog to Malaysia. We have engaged a pet shipping company who are guiding us through one step at a time. The first official step was to have him vaccinated against Rabies. He will need to continue to have a booster yearly to ensure a smooth transition back to Australia when the time comes. 

Not all vets here in Australia are qualified to administer  pet export vaccinations however my local vet was able to recommend a local who could do the job. I’m not sure who was more nervous, me or him….and he was nervous! All in all it was a painless process with a single shot. (Except for the bill….$230!). We needed to make sure his microchip was working and fill out the required paperwork which I need to send on to the pet exporter who will have an official government vet sign off on it. No side effects afterwards and it seemed no different to his yearly vaccinations.

On a side note the crate training is going well. The top is now on his transport crate and he makes the odd trip onto it to have a sniff around. I put a treat in every now and again  to make it a happy place for him. 

Keep Calm and Carry On

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There are varying degrees of miracles in life. There are some I thought I would never attain. Well, one at least. Alert the media…..I have for the first time ever travelled internationally with just carry on! 

Nick and I did a whirlwind trip to KL for one week to sort out some stuff for the posting. Having a bit of lead in time until we move we decided to purchase our own tickets and do a bit of a reconnaissance mission to check out our future home. A sneaky week to hopefully secure accomodation and to help us figure out what we need to take with us and what we can leave behind and buy in Malaysia. 

I honestly can’t remember when we have travelled with just the 2 of us sans kids. We flew Malaysian Airlines and had a grand total of 7kg each for the trip. Thankfully it’s much easier to travel to somewhere where it is hot. 7 pairs of undies (I don’t know why I always feel the need to pack more, it’s been more than a few years since I have wet my pants), and a few changes of clothes for casual and a few nights out. The biggest problem was the liquids which travelling from Aus you need to keep under 100g and place in a plastic bag for inspection at customs. My sunscreen that was 110ml was confiscated but otherwise we made it through unscathed. I cannot tell you how much easier it was without checked in bags! Straight though at check in with a seperate queue at both ends for those with no checked luggage. Saved us hours as the queues were huge. Best bit was landing back in Aus. Landed at 7.15pm and we were sitting on the couch at home eating a pizza by 8.15pm. 

I felt a bit like a snail carrying my home on my back. Everything was accessible the whole time and packing up was a breeze. We actually purchased a ticket with checked bags just in case but it all went smoothly. Malaysia was much more relaxed with weight limits than Australia. Not sure it will ever happen again but boy was it awesome! Who said I was high maintenance. (Well Nick did but I proved him wrong!)

 

95 Days and Counting

Tick Tick Tick……. It really creeps up on you!  Things continue to click over at a blistering pace. So this happened this weekend…

It has begun! We have started the mammoth task of the dreaded “uplift”. So we have 4 categories to place our belongings in. Coming with us in uplift , storage in Aus, and coming with us as luggage. The fourth category is the “Donate” category which is actually quite cathartic. We have started donating things we will no longer need as well as selling a few things to make a few extra $$$.  It was a challenge to know where to start so we have started with our clothes. The moving company does not pack our clothes so it was a natural place to start. It was like Christmas for Scarlett as I found a heap of clothes that I had kidded myself I was going to fit back in to one day. Let’s just say she has a new “vintage” wardrobe. It still freaks me out that she is more or less fitting into this stuff! She looks great and it makes me so happy to see the clothes used again! I knew flares would come back! 

I have also started to buy a few things that may be hard to source  in KL. If Vietnam is anything to go buy, my size 14 is ENORMOUS so I have bought a few new clothes as well as some shoes for my apparent clown sized feet at size 8.5. 

We have all been to the dentist this week to get us cleared which forms part of our medical clearances. No biggie for most of us except for me who is petrified of the dentist. I had a heap of work done in Vietnam which stood me in good stead and I got the all clear. Phew! 

We continue to navigate the balance of the reality of leaving family and friends behind whilst juggling a son entering year 12 exams and the everyday pressures of work. It would be an understatement to say it’s not easy. This move is proving to be the most challenging we have ever undertaken for so many reasons. We continue as we always have, one bite at a time and chewing like hell…..thanks to you all for you amazing support and encouragement. It means more than you know. 

Eating the Elephant

Well it appears the cat is well and truly out of the bag and we can now officially announce that the Moggys are off on another adventure!  Come November we will be packing up once more and heading to Malaysia.  Kuala Lumpur to be exact!  So it's time to drag out the old blog and hopefully someone, somewhere, will find the content either useful or at the very least, have a laugh as we stumble our way through moving, settling and living in Malaysia. Hoping the blog will provide our friends and family with a bit of an insight on what we are up to as well as perhaps offering some useful information for anyone thinking of moving to Malaysia

My dad has a great saying that I have taken on board on many occasions throughout my life.  When faced with a task that appears insurmountable and you just don't know where to start, treat it like eating an elephant. Just take one bite at a time and before you know it you will be reaching for the Gaviscon as you swallow the last bite. Although six months sounds like a long time, the lead in to this move is quite condensed.  Me being the true Capricorn that I am have created a few spreadsheets/files and folders to keep track.  Nicks work continues to be busy so I have "volunteered" to cover the bulk of the organising.

So in a VERY brief summary, this is how we hope it will work.  Christopher will complete his year 12 exams in November.  He has been doing a VET course as part of his VCE for the last 2 years in Game Art and Animation. They school he attends one day a week at present have an Online Campus that offers a 2 year Advanced Diploma which he can undertake from KL.  Once we are settled we will need to find a local course that he can do in person  (both Monash and Swinburne Universities have campuses here!) to ensure he has an opportunity to interact with his peers, make some friends and get out and have some fun.  Scarlett will finish (just about) year 9 before we leave.  She has been accepted at an international school in KL. Their school year is from August to June so she will re-enter year 9 in November which will give her a great opportunity to assimilate before hitting year 10 mid next year. As for me?  My employer is very supportive of me continuing my current role from KL for which I am enormously grateful.  I love what I do and am so excited that I can stay on and work with my team!

And we cant forget Alby!  Of COURSE he is coming with us!  It was a deal breaker for the kids (and me to if I'm honest!).  Alby is our eight year old miniature Labradoodle who also happens to be an absolute legend! There is a rather huge list of things to do and consider in moving him overseas and I will outline the process as it progresses.  

So that's it for now.  If you feel like following along you can subscribe via email on the bottom of the page.  I will also post to good old Facebook so you can find us there.  Wish us luck!

Dani