Punto

Before going to NZ, I have prepared myself to kiwi accent, yun bang parang bisaya na may long "e" palagi - "are you feeling bitter now", "ixcillint!", "sivin", "tin", etc.

I really struggled with accents when I started the NZ workforce. Pano ba namang hindi, there are 6 of us in the team and you could hear 5 different accents. Merong kiwi, Indian (parang ilocano sa pag-rponounce ng “r�), chinese (kulang naman sa "r" at "g"), scott (mabilis magsalita at matigas ang mga vowels) and pinoy (americanized, naks). Except for a little difficulty with the scott-twang and the head-gesture of the indian, I am now ok communicating with people here. Ang problema ko na lang eh yung pagka-shy ko (yup, believe it or not). Well, that’s a different story.

Winter, Spring .....

We conquered winter. Will we survive spring?

A few weeks ago, some Aucklanders complained about paint spills all over the Auckland Region. After the pollution scientists checked the water samples, they found out that it not paint but pollen! The pollen in the water has a greasy texture between the fingers and may spread out across the surface in bands and whorls. It is a natural phenomenon and occurs on a regular basis.

Spring is a few days away kaya naglipana na ang pollen. If you leave your car outdoor for a few hours, you’ll notice some yellow dust on it. May mga asthma ang kasama ko sa bahay. Vince and Henry have hika while Shannen has skin asthma (mas delikado sya pag-winter). Vince has mild asthma for a few days now. I hope it’s not caused by pollen.

Ito ang mga tips na nakuha ko to prevent pollen allergy.
- keep windows in cars and homes shut when pollen counts are high
- Wear sunglasses to avoid irritation
- Keep your home dust-free as possible, regularly dusting surfaces and frequently washing linens, stuff toys and pillows in hot water
- Use a quality vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter

Our first NZ car

Matagal ko nang gusto I-blog tong kotse ni Henry kaya lang baka batukan ako non pag nalaman nya. Nawawalan daw ng dignidad yung kotse.

4 weeks after he got here, nakabili na agad si henry ng kotse. A friend of a friend sold him her family’s spare car. The car is a black Honda Legend 1991. The price…. NZ$400! Ginastusan ni Henry ng $700 para sa WOF, tires at solenoid, and presto, may matinong kotse na sya. Walang problema, walang kalampag. May CD-changer, sun-roof, programmable seat-setting, automatic transmission, all-power, aircon/heater, etc. Poging-pogi itong kotse na to nung kabataan nya.

Pwede pa daw i-trade-in tong kotse for $2000. Tutubo pa kami. However, we’re keeping it. Kahit makabili na kami ng maganda-gandang second car, di namin idi-dispatsya itong si Legend.

Note: Kamukha ng nasa picture yung kotse pero hindo ito yon.

BOB in QS

Dinumog ng mga tao ang Queen Street, Auckland City kahapon. May parade ng Boobs-On-Bikes (BOB) which has been a yearly thing. Topless girls (and boys too) went on parade in 26 motorbikes and 2 tanks. This event is actually a prelude to this weekend's Erotica Expo at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane.

Hindi bawal sa NZ ang topless as long as no indecent actions yung tao. Sari-sari ang nanood ng parade. May mga locals na talagang inaabangan ito, meron mga tourist na curios at higit sa lahat, may mga conservative groups na kino-condemn ito.

(sorry, I’m not attaching any pictures)

Whakapapa holiday

Two weeks ago, two of my high school classmates visited Auckland for a 12-days holiday. Ronald came with his bubbly wife Berna, while Noel was with his best friend Ollie. They stayed in one of our classmates house in Albany. It was some sort of reunion for the 4 of us. 1987 ko pa huling nakita yung dalawa.

These guys were are really great. No dull moment with them. Sayang at di ko sila nakasama sa lahat ng lakad nila (which happens to be every single day of their stay). I promised to take them around on their next visit (sana nakakapag-drive na ako non).

On 11-13 August, sumama ako sa kanila sa Whakapapa, Mt. Ruapehu (poor Henry, naiwan sa bahay para mag-alaga sa mga bagets). We had a grand time in the snow mountain on Saturday. Ganon pala ang snow, parang yelo sa freezer. Una worried ako na baka mangisay ako sa lamig pero kung properly clothed ka pala di naman pa masyadong inconvenient ang yelo.

Ronald had ski lessons while we played with toboggan. We were scheduled to go back there on Sunday but it was cancelled because of a snow storm. Ok na rin yon, at least nakatikim ako ng snow.

May mga exciting places pa kaming napuntahan, next kwento na yon.

Kiwi Goodness

Last Friday, I took the day off to take my MIL for a blood test. Walang bayad ang Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) despite declaring her visa status (tourist). Libre daw ang blood tests sa NZ.

Since Henry has work that, MIL, Shannen and I took the bus (takot pa akong magmaneho). Instead of bringing a bus route map with us, tinandaan ko na lang yung bus # at lugar na bababaan – 2 bus rides papunta, 2 bus rides pauwi. We did ok going to the clinic which happens to be in the corner of Apollo Drive and Rosedale. Nang pauwi na kami saka nagkawindang-windang ang lahat. Pagsakay namin sa bus, sinabi ko sa driver na ibaba kami sa bus stop na papuntang Forrest Hill. After nyang i-confirm sa radio kung saan kami dapat ibaba, sabi nya “ok�. Ang kaso, mali ang instructions sa kanya. Sa ibang stop kami ibinaba, sa Constellation Station. @#$*#$%^!

Nagtanong ako sa isang bus na nakaparada kung dadaan ba sya dun sa area namin. Oo naman daw. Iba ang routa nya pero dadaan sya malapit sa amin.

Ibinaba nya kami malapit sa kanto ng Wairau at Tristram. Mga 50 meters na yung nalalakad namin nang nakita kong tumatakbong papalapit sa amin si mamang driver. Nang makalapit sya, sinabi nyang di daw kami pwedeng dumaan sa Tristram kasi walang footpath doon (ibig sabihin, bawal ang pedestrian). Sakay na lang daw kami ulit at ihahatid nya kami sa bahay. Buti na lang at kami lang ang pasahero.

Kasalanan ni Tsuper-man kung bakit napunta kami sa lugar na yon pero he could have just left us there and let us find our way home. But instead of that, he went out of his route to ensure that we get home safe. That was really sweet. O di ba mababait sila.

My first Maori 101

I had my first Maori lesson last week courtesy of my kiwi officemate. Maoris pronounce “Wh� as “f�. So Whangarei is “Fangarei� and Whakapapa is “Fakapapa� (ay, bastos).