I Don't Cuss Enough?

Man, how G-rated's my blog?

Created by OnePlusYou

For the record, I cuss more in real life. Shh, don't tell my mother.

What's yours?

PS: Constant Drama, you so have to do this ;)

Help Needed - I Don't Want To Change My Name!

I'm having a very big problem with identification in Australia.

I couldn't take my driver's learner's permit test today. Not that I was not allowed to, but after a long discussion with the Vicroads lady (nice girl, Jenna), I realised that it would be pointless to apply for something which I would be using as an identification other than my passport in Australia. For the very thing I did not expect to give me problems with is, well, giving me a lot of problems.

My name.

Now as a Chinese, I have a Chinese name (duh). I also have an official Christian name attached to my birth certificate, Malaysian identification card and passport. For explanation's sake, let's say my name is Amy Lim Yen Lee (it's not, by the way) - first name Amy, second/middle name Yen Lee, and surname Lim. That's how it's written in Malaysia, and that's how I'm known as. Now over here (basically almost everywhere else BUT Malaysia), my name would be Amy Yen Lee Lim. My surname would be last. You know what I mean?

When the Vicroads lady checked my passport, she was dismayed to learn that it was a Malaysian passport. Apparently this was not the first time they've encountered this. She explained to me that my surname is Lee, not Lim, regardless of what I wrote in the application form, nor any bank statements, etc. They insisted that unless my surname and first names are clearly specified on the passport, they have to read the name on the passport from left to right. In that case, my surname happened to be Lee. And that would be my name here.

This is a huge problem for me. If I were to apply for a driver's license here, my surname would be changed. Due to some new department policy, they have to read my name as it is on the passport, even though I told them specifically my surname was Lim, that it's written in my passport, birth certificate, etc. It would not make any difference to them; they just have to read it as it is, on the passport, from left to right. They suggested a way around this would be if I were to get the Malaysian consulate to change my passport, or to have some kind of note on the Observations page in the passport to indicate what my first and last names are. If not, then the name will have to be Amy Lee, not Amy Lim.

Now, all explanations aside ... this is RIDICULOUS!! I mean, come on! I am not the first Malaysian they encountered, and yet they just wouldn't bend to see reason. It's all just black and white. When I asked them what the rest of the Malaysian applicants did with that problem, and they told me that they just kept their "surname" that way. In other words, their names were changed. Oh they sympathised with me all that, but there was nothing else they could do. Unless I was all right with such an identification, there was nothing they could do.

I don't get it. So they're all right with us changing our names just to fit their policy?? This is going to cause a real havoc with my life here in Australia!

Are there any Malaysians in Australia facing this problem? How did you get around it? I don't want to have to go to the Malaysian embassy in Canberra just to get my name right. The Malaysian friends I know here did not even face such a problem. Is it because I have an extra Christian name attached, that's why my surname was squeezed in the middle? I had this problem when applying for Medicare too, but they closed an eye and let me through, with my actual surname intact.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Coffee or a meal on me. Seriously.

Thanks!

PS: I went to the Vicroads at Oakleigh South.

Learner's Permit. Again?

I finally got off my lazy bum and arranged for an appointment for my driving learner's permit test. It's next Tuesday (6 May).

We aren't allowed to transfer Malaysian drivers' licenses to the Australian one. I personally think this is a sucky rule, not to mention a very biased one, when Singaporean ones are allowed to be transferred over, hence exempting them from doing the whole learning test and probationary period thing. Oh, and the US drivers' licenses can be transferred over without any problems too. What gives? Those fellas drive on the other side of the road!

So right now, I'll have to study for the "undang" test before I do the actual driving test. In retrospect, it's been exactly 10 years since I did the whole driving test thing. It was in Malay, and I had to sit through six bloody hours of video and some fella droning on about traffic safety. Thank God I don't have to do that here. Phew.

Effective 1 July 2008, all probationary licenses are extended to an extra year, which means I'll be stuck with a P license (with the P sticker on the car) for THREE years! No use trying to book an appointment with VicRoads before then. Everything is fully booked; everyone wants to get theirs done before the changeover. Gah.

Well, back to my "undang" book.

Weirdest rule? Hook turns. I still don't get it :(

Meeting The Geekchic

After all the emails and text messages to and fro, the Geekchic and I finally made plans to meet up at South Yarra for coffee today. I had no idea what to expect; she was really friendly over the messages, but who knows what she's like in real life. You know what I mean?

I was absolutely delighted that she's equally (if not more) lovely in person.

We actually arranged to meet up at around 5pm today. Since I arrived early and had time to kill, I thought I'd take a stroll along Chapel St and browse the shops first. It was such a coincidence that we bumped into each other in the Bloom store she told me about!

Now I've never met Geekchic before, but as we had over an hour of coffee and cake, we started chatting about anything and everything like we've been friends for years. Talked about shopping (oh we are such shopping addicts!), makeup, perfume, work, life, etc. Suffice to say, I had such a great time with her. Another coffee session soon, yeah?

So yay for me, I've made another friend here *big grin*.

Me Knitted Scarf

Is it sad that I know how to knit? If not, then what is sad (or sadder) is that I only know how to knit scarves. I have no idea how to knit anything else. Quite frankly, I don't have the patience to. A college lecturer taught my friend and I to knit during one of our Moral Education lessons. We started off with a scarf. Do you know how long it took me to knit that bloody scarf?

FIVE months. With many holes to boast too.

I brought that scarf with me to the UK, but I never did wear it because I was afraid I'd dirty it. It took me five months to make it, dammit. So, it stayed in the cupboard for 3 years before I brought it back to Malaysia.

Fast forward 10 years, and I still only know how to knit a scarf. BUT, behold a whole new record.

Six days.

This is what happens when you have way too much time in your hands. Still, it'd be great for those winter-y days and nights.

Hmm ... what colour should I do next?