I am one of AliExpress customer, and I love to buy things from this online platform. Beside almost all the things are cheap, and I never unsatisfied with the things that came.

First time I bought from AliExpress was when I bought my first coat, in Indonesia, while I still working at the oil and gas field. The place was so far away from the city, that is why I have a massive difficulty to find a coat for me. That time I will went to Australia in a couple month.

So, I decided to bought my first coat from AliExpress. At that time my size is super small, and the coat was fit in me. Now... it's tight everywhere.

After that, almost every month I bought something from AliExpress. Some of my favorite boots also bought from this website too.

Since move to Australia, and started my life from zero again, I then stop buying something from this website. At least until I started to casually work at one catering company in here. Since it casual, I can't just do it like before. Bought things every months.

But, then, after I have enough money to spend, I choose AliExpress to bought some things.

In this first part, I will write about some cat things that I bought from AliAExpress for my cat, Duke.

Since AliExpress is an e-commerce website, means all the stuff that sells there are come from lots of sellers. They also provide a tracking record too. So, in some stuffs that I bought, I don't have to open the Australian Post to track my package.

And mostly they provide a free shipping too. Mostly! So you have to be really careful if you want to buy stuff here, you have to look at their shipping method. Because so many seller provide free shipping, and if you are not focus, you will get the one with shipping fee.

Because it sent from Asia, mostly the length to arrive at Australia is around 14 days. But some are even shorter than that. Back in Indonesia, my first order arrived around three months.

You could find another shipping carriers too. They provide carriers like DHL, and of course it cost you a lot. But it will arrive faster.

These two things for my cat are bought from the same seller. This seller have a good rate for its store. 98.8% (and you probably have to see their star rate too). From the fast shipping, communication, and the items as same as the description, have 4.8 from 5 point. So I believed that I will satisfied buy things from this seller. 

First, I bought this pirates costume for cat. So cute, and this also one of my list for Duke. Because I love cute thing wearing cute thing.

Good rate and also only AU$680 for Medium size, so I bought it. But since Australia put tax on the foreign things, they taxed this costume for AU$ 0.70. Not much, and I don't mind also.

The second one, I bought this brush glove for his fur. You know cat sometimes shred their fur in their body, so I need a brush to clean it. And I thought this glove is perfect.

Cost around AU$3.62 and all size plus tax AU$0.37, I could see Duke will be happy with this.

So I ordered these things at 21 July 2018 and they started to send it at 24 July.

Communication

The stars never lie, they have very good communications. Once they send the products, they send me an email to tell me that they already sent my order. And also thank me for ordering at their place.

They also tell me that if I found difficulty tracking my order or something wrong with the product, I could directly send email to them about it.

I think, this is one good thing to do, as a seller.

Tracking Record

Since I choose free shipping, they already told me that it estimated around 23-45 days to be arrive. So I already prepared that these products will not arrive sooner.

But,
Since they provide a track records and number too, I could tracked where my orders are. Since they also really update for their tracking records, I sometimes doesn't have to open Australia post to see where my orders are. 

Shipping Speed

Even thought they told me the time for shipped my things around 23-45 days. But I believe it will arrive to Australia around 14 days. So I was hoping it will be arrive at Australia around 14 days .

And,

.

.
My package arrived at 13 August afternoon. 15 days only. 

Since I order two things at the same store, so the package consist of two order. In this package you could see the information about what the stuffs inside the package, and also have custom declarations.

Real Picture

I could say all the products that I bought from this seller are 100% looks like the picture. And fit for Duke too.

2. Laser Toy

Second seller is the one who sells this laser toy for cat. The reason is because this thing is small and cheap. 

Communications

This seller didn't send me any email to tell me that they sent the order or not. But I received an email from AliExpress that told me the order has been shipped.

Tracking Record

Apparently, this seller is came from Laos, so it use Laos Post. Same with the costume and glove seller, it also told me that it took around 30 - 50 days shipping time, plus three days for preparing my order. So they should have sent my order three days after I order.

Tracking

This seller also gave me a tracking number, which told me that the tracking information will be able to use 5 - 10 days after the shipping date. So basically, almost 2 weeks I couldn't track my order from this seller.

It was pitiful that the tracking number is couldn't recorded at Australian Post, and I just able to see the record until "arrive at destination country." From there, I don't know where it arrive, in Sidney or Melbourne, and when they will send it to me.








Shipping Speed

I ordered this product at 21 July 2018, and arrive at 14 August. So it arrived around 17 days. Basically it was a normal shipping time. But yeah, I couldn't track this product until it almost arrive at my hand.



The package was so simple. Perhaps because I order non fragile product, so they didn't put lots of bubble wrap for protecting.

Real Picture



At first, I was afraid that the product was bad. The laser light is not strong enough. So I was a little bit worried. Again, I read the comment after I order. This was something that sometimes I did. Mostly I read the comment before order, but in several times I didn't.

But, luckily, the product came perfectly, the laser also work good. Plus they also gave three  batteries as bonus. So, I didn't have to bought batteries for the laser.

But this laser just work for a couple days, at day four, they started to faded, probably because it was keep for a long time so the batteries are not that powerful.

3. Lion Hair

This food is one of lots of popular food in Indonesia. Mostly sells at the street vendor, and sells together with mie goreng (fried noodle) and nasi goreng (fried rice).

Once when I worked at the field, I have one food vendor that become one of my favorite food vendor there, and he sells this fried kwe tiaw. 

The Indonesian pickle or acar is actually the cucumber, carrots, and sometimes with chilies and shallots made with the vinegar and salt. In some of food vendor that sells these kind of foods, they sometimes give you choice to use this acar or a normal sambal.

Some people maybe use the raw prawn to make this food, but if you are like me, can't get it because the deli already closed, frozen cooked one also fine. 

If you use the raw prawn, I suggest you to put it and cooked it until half cooked before you add chicken at your wok. 

A Chinese vegetables that I usually used in Indonesia is choy sum, but since in here I have lots of variants like bok choy, pak choy, baby bok choy, and choy sum, and all are have the same taste, so I don't think it will be a problem if you want to choose one to another. 

I use the red onion just because I want it, if you want to choose the normal brown one, I don't think it will be a problem. My reason is just I want to add some colors in my kwe tiaw. 

So here you go...

Beside my visa status change, this is also things that I've been waiting every month. The Bella Box. Somehow, one of the things that always makes me happy. 

Like this August box. All the beauty things inside are BEAUTY RESET.

Yes, I need to reset my skin for a better skin.

Firstly, I loooooove the package from this product, pink!! And yes, the clay mask itself have pink color too. Would be really fun to put the mask in my face. Only took five minute treatment for making the skin look healthier.

And this product using Australian pink clay, that purifies and refines the pore, so it will make your pore tighter. It also deep cleansing and detoxifying your skin, plus it fit to all skin types. 

If you bought this clay mask at their website, they offer you the bundle to buy, and it's free worldwide delivery too. 

Want to have lit, long, sharp, and black eye liner? This is the best choice for you. Liquid pen eyeliner from Mellow Cosmetics will give you sharp and super black result eyeliner. Long lasting, and also easy to apply too. 

Come let's create our wing with this Mellow Cosmetics pen eyeliner for AU$ 22.50.

Fact! This serum is not even at sale yet. Means, me and other Bellas are the first people who try this serum. That will help recover my skin overnight. 

Want to try this serum before its launching date, come to their website, and fill the form for the sample.

I need this for my hair, especially right now I'm planning to bleach and colouring my hair. This 5 in 1 hair treatment will help me to restore my dry and damage hair. Improve the hair texture and make it shine, also hydrates and deeply conditioning it.

Have split ends and frizz hair? This product will help makes it smooth again, and only 10 minutes need to transform hair to be smooth and shiny. 

Check their website, and order for free shipping world wide!!

Looking for gentle cleanser and remove make up without drying and irritating the sensitive skin? Perhaps this product could be the one. 

Consist of spring water, niacinamide, glycerin and panthenol to soothe and protect normal to dry skin. Go get this product for only AU$26.95 at your nearest Priceline or Chemist Warehouse. 

Yes, a small sachet for you who want to try this Revlon primer also part of this box. 

This week I cooked one of simple culinary from Indonesia, Ayam sisit (Chicken Shredded) and Plecing Bayam (Spinach with tomato sauce). I add the plecing because only chicken shredded I felt is not enough, and I didn't have any vegetables to served.

As far as I know, this plecing is one of the traditional culinary from Lombok Island, near Bali. They used to use kang koong, perhaps you know its as swam cabbage, water kale, etc. When I bought the ingredients, actually I was looking for this kang koong at one of Asian store, Market Place. But unfortunately, this week they didn't have kang koong. That is why I choose spinach. And the wombok / wonbok / chinesse cabbage, is because one day my boyfriend bought this for our sandwich feeling. Apparently, wombok is not fit the sandwich. That is why I add wombok in my plecing. 

The ingredients is easy to find also. And time for cook only around 15 minutes, without recording of course, LOL.

Why I always cook something different every week, it's beside introducing my boyfriend about Indonesian culinary, also he love to eat. LOL.

Like usual, this recipe is for two serves. Happy cooking :)

Since this blog is dedicated for my story about moving to Australia (and the life too), so here and there are posts about my visa stories.

I always said, this visa thing is really makes me tired mentally and physically. Started from I have to be really patient faced my friend schedule to help me finish my Indonesian police check. Until I have to be really patient faced my boyfriend time and mood.

Sometimes we had disagreement about what to write, and what to do. And when that happened, both of us really tried to not blew up.

Also read: My Struggle Applying Australian De Facto Visa

It looks really simple. Just preparing the documents, right, and filled those forms, right?.

Nope...

Not to mention, you have to be ready for medical check up, and TIME. Since we spent AU$7,100 for applying the visa, we planned to prepared the money first.

But, three months after I applied the visa, I received an email from Australian embassy, which said that I should finished attaching all of the required documents in 28 days, or they decline my visa application.

PANIC!!!

Because we didn't do anything yet since finished the online application. No police check at Indonesia and Australia, no medical check up, nothing is ready.

So I asked the embassy to give me more time, because I told them the truth, we are not doing anything yet. So they add another 28 days for me. And yes, the race against time then.

Also Read: Stage 2 Applying Australian Partner Visa

Same Struggles Forums

My boyfriend and I followed some forums that have the same struggles with us. But basically I really not a fan of it. Because sometimes I found the answer I need not as complete as I need. And sometimes when I want to ask something, I have to wait a little bit longer.

I prefer asked directly to someone, or to the agency, or someone. Because I can directly get the answer, and complete. Since my boyfriend a little bit dislike when I didn't want to joint any forums, so I joint a few.

Of course, I found some people have the same problem like me, and lots of answer for sure. But, since it scattered around. I have to read the answer one by one and trying to combined all the answer. Need time of course. And concentration.

But, I tell you, following some forums with the same struggles like you is not a bad decision. You could find so many answer for your struggles, and also you can help them too, if you want.

I found it somehow useful. Like when I had to came back to Indonesia and back again to Australia for the third time in a row with the same visitor visa. Some people in the forums already told me to be careful, because the immigration staff will stop you. Just in case I get stop, we already planned so many things. But at the end, they still stopped me anyway.

Also Read: Things You Have to Aware If You Have Multiple Entry Visitor Visa Australia

Actually, it is fine to follow lots of forums. It really help you to find the answers, really.

Bridging Visa

Photo by Mateusz Dach from Pexels

Finally, after finished lodge my visa application, I could breathe a little. Because since lodged it, I immediately granted a bridging visa, which means I should not going in and out to Australia anymore.

With this bridging visa, beside I don't have to go in and out Australia, I also able to get medicare, and Australian private insurance. And Of course I am able to work too with no restriction hour.

And, some people asked me when will they get the bridging visa, and what can they do with the bridging visa.

Firstly, you will get the bridging visa immediately, after you lodge your online visa form. And this bridging visa is applies after your recent visa is not in effect anymore.

Also read: Australian Partner Visa Q & A

For example, I apply my partner visa onshore (in Australia). When I applied it I used visitor visa. SO after lodge my partner visa, and being informed that they gave me bridging visa, this bridging visa was not in effect that time, but waited for my visitor visa is not in effect anymore, which is at April.

And while waiting my visitor visa not in effect in April, that will made my bridging visa automatically active, I still able to stay in Australia, but still with the visitor visa rules.

Partner Visa 820