it's been about 2 1/2 months since I've arrived in Melbourne, and with regards to the job front, I wish I had better news, but at them moment I am still unemployed. I've been feeling really bummed about it this past few days. What pushed me down the pits was that just today, 2 totally different and unrelated people told me almost the same thing:"... when an Australian employer sees your resume next to someone else who has the same skills and qualifications, who do you think he will choose, the Caucasian or the Asian guy?" This really pissed me off because I don't believe this to be true. Yet, I wonder if I'm living in my own delusion. Not wanting to get into a whole new racial debate, but doesn't this already happen in Malaysia, where the gwailos are offered positions than better qualified asians? Looks to me like the years of oppression during colonial rule has actually passed down several generations and many, many Asians still harbour this insecurity and self-degradation in the presences of the Whites. I thought we live in a more enlightened day and age where people are judged by their qualities and not by their skin colour. Malaysia prides itself by proclaiming it's multiculturalism, but Australia is a country of immigrants much like America, and is even more culturally diverse than Malaysia. Anyway, back to my job hunt... I've only been called for ONE interview so far, and that was with a temp employment agency because I sent in an application for a temporary graphic designer position. Needless to say I didn't get it. Most of my other applications have been rejected or ignored totally, which is another annoyance to me. Can't these companies have the decency to even acknowledge receipt of my job application? C'mon, how hard is it to copy and paste and email out a canned response, even to 100s of applicants? I started off applying to design firms, specifically those that specialize in web work, but have since widened my scope to even include lowly Mac Operator (mindless execution of someone elses design) jobs, and now retail. It hasn't come to the stage where I'd have to get a McJob yet, but if it doesn't get any better I might just have to. P.S. Also today I found out that Guy Sebastian, one of the 2 Australian Idol Grand Finalists, is Malaysian-born. Go figure. I voted for him (before I knew that).