Aussie Migration - Packing & Shipping Stuff

We have a total of 25 boxes all packed up and stuffed into the downstairs room. These will all go through Air Asia Cargo if everything proceeds as planned. Price is not too crazy and it takes only 2 days. The problem will be mainly that they don't provide door to door service for KL - Melbourne shipping. For RM150, they provide a 3-tonne lorry to take the boxes from our house in Malaysia to the airport, but once the cargo lands in Melbourne, we'll need to figure out how to grab them 25 boxes from the cargo bay and drive it all the way back to the suburb. Yes, there are 'removalists' for hire by the hour in Melbourne, but it will be most convenient if we could find a door to door service instead. KK checked out a professional mover HB Relo from the internet the other day and will be arranging for a free house visit to obtain a price quote for these 25 boxes. Since movers like these ship stuff via containers, it will probably go by sea and reach much later compared to Air Asia Cargo.

I'm thinking that engaging a professional mover will cost the moon. Right now, with AirAsia Cargo, it is around RM7-8k for around 500kgs. They don't go through fumigation and that's one key factor for me right now because we'll be shipping a lot of Abby's stuff (toys, etc..things she will put in her mouth). Though it's said that the methyl bromide chemical is harmless in small amounts, but who knows what it will do my kid 10 years down the road after she systematically puts every fumigated toy from the container into her mouth. Gah!



Hope to find the right channel to ship our 25 boxes of much-loved (though not valuable) stuff over. Packing was a bitch. Originally we wanted to keep a whole buttload of stuff but ended up throwing or giving away most of them. The good part is that we managed to sell all the bigger more valuable ones like the IKEA pieces, the aircons, fridge, wooden toys, etc. Even the half-used bottles and cans of food were not wasted and given to our neighbour (who in turn brought more ladies to sapu the pails, tong sampah, plants, etc). Facebook is indeed a valuable tool. I owe our garage sale success to it!

The house in KL is now standing empty and hopefully we can sell it in the next few days (wishful thinking!) before KK and I fly to Melbourne to get a rental. Both the Toyota Vios and the Perodua Alza have been sold and at a pretty good price. God is good. I've never doubted that. More often than before I'm now convinced that this is the right path to be walking on. I want a healthier and more fulfilling life elsewhere than what we have now in Malaysia. You can say that it's a case of grass being greener on the other side, but heck, it sure ain't green here anymore.

Despite all this, I still have to quash the feeling of being a coward and not choosing to tough it out and staying to make a difference to Malaysia. But then, it's just not my calling. This might not sit well later when I'm old and regretting in front of a fireplace, but right now I just go where the roads leads. To me, the worst regret is not to have tried at all.