Merry Christmas

This year has been a good and memorable one. Ate Chris is finally in New Zealand, Kuya Johnny got his Permanent Residency, Shannen started school, Vince is doing well in school and basketball, met great friends, moved to our new house, etc. Couldn't believe it all happened in a year. We're looking forward to all the new oppurtunities, challenges and blessings waiting for us in the next 365 days.

I wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas and a joyous New Year.

PS: I promise myself to post more, shorter blogs next year.

NZ Labour Weekend

It's been a while since we last had a break so this long weekend (26 Oct is Labour Day) is really much needed.

We went malling on Saturday (wala naman akong nabili). Sunday was sun and fun at the beach. Today is supposed to be relaxing. So far, so good :)

foot loose

Kadarating ko lang non sa New Zealand. Sinama ako ni Henry sa mall. While inside a shop, 2 boys came in. Aba naman, naka-paa sila. Iisipin ko na sana mga yagit sila pero maayos naman yung mga suot nila. At yung mga magulang mukhang disente.

Wag kang magugulat kung may makita kang nakapaa sa kalsada, mall, school, hospital, etc. Maraming kiwis (bata at matanda) ang sanay mag-yapak. Hindi dahil wala silang footwear kundi type lang nila.

Sinubukan ko din yon. Pagod na yung paa ko sa kalalakad sa mall (don't get the impression na malaki ang malls dito). So hinubad ko yung sapatos ko at naglakad ako for the next 15 minutes ng ramdam ko yung lamig ng semento. Aba, masarap nga :) So when you are in NZ, try nyo yong gawin.

Assimilating

Vince made more Filipino friends at school (St. Joseph's) this year. Natutuwa kami ni Henry coz these kids are really nice, very courteous and on the same “wave length” as him.

This term, he joined the school basketball team. I had a smile on my face when he asked me to sign the form (sa loob-loob ko, mabuti naman na-realize mong hindi pang rugby ang katawan mo). Anim silang pinoys sa team. Then there’s the 3 imports – a kiwi, an Indian and a South African. Di ko na sasabihin kung sino ang magagaling J

Last month, Vince asked me if he could have rice and sausage for lunch instead of the usual sandwich. Ayaw nya dating mag-baon ng kanin dahil ayaw nya ng kanin/ulam na malamig. So what’s with the sudden change? Yun daw mga prendship nya ay kanin lagi ang baon. His lunch bag was never the same from then on.


One time sinisita ako ni Vince. Bakit daw hindi ko sya ipinag-baon ng lunch. Hmmm…. ang tanda ko nag-preapre ako ng sandwich. Yun pala, iba na ang definition ng lunch sa kanya. Lunch (or dinner) is rice.

Vince’s friends are playing a big influence on him. Not bad at all as this helps me and Henry assimilate Filipino values and ways on him.

Seminar for those moving to New Zealand

FREE SEMINAR FOR WTRS IN MANILA/CEBU IN NOV 2009

AKLnzPINOYS is planning to sponsor a free (or maybe only minimal fee) seminar for applicants who already received their WTR visas or are just waiting for their WTRs. There will be two seminars, one in Manila and another in Cebu; both to be held around November this year.

The purpose of the seminar is to:

• Give new migrants a clear picture of the challenges that they will be facing when they arrive NZ;
• Explain what WTR9 really means in Immigration NZ terms as well as practical terms.
• Explain some pre-departure decisions that migrants need to make, including the risks and consequences of each decisions (Eg. should principal go to NZ first, family to join later, or husband and wife first, children later, or everyone departs at the same time);
  Other pre-departure decisions: resigning from current job, selling all assets, timing of departure (what are the best and worst months to come to NZ)).
• Describe the different scenarios (from best case to worst) that could happen to them from the time they arrive to the time their WTR visa expires or gets converted to PR and give them tips on how they can minimize risks, avoid mistakes, and deal with each given scenario.

To help us in organizing this event, we've devised a simple survey. If you are interested or know someone who might be, we would appreciate if you can spare us just one minute of your time (5 questions only) to go through the survey.

Click the link below or copy and paste in your browser.

http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=OJOMH_ae3eb2cb

Non AklnzPinoys members are welcome to attend these seminars, so feel free to pass this to anyone in your network.

Maraming salamat po.

AklnzPinoys Moderators

7 Tacitus Place

Ito na yung pinakahihintay nyong pictures ng aming bahay. Syempre, pinili ko na yung anggulo na magaganda (maganda na yun sa lagay na yon).

Kanina, nagpintura ng deck si Henry, Janjing, Vince and Shannen (oo, pati si kulasa kasama). Ako naman yung mail box ang sagot ko :) Inayos din namin ni Ate Chris yung garden. Ilang puno na yung natabas namin. Ang sakit ng braso ko.

Work-in-progress pa yung bahay. Uunti-untiin namin ang ayos.

PS: Pasensya na, hindi na-set yung date sa camera.

sugar, salt, rice and pasta

Sorry for not blogging for a while. Sobrang busy kami sa bahay in the past weeks.

We have moved to our new home on 08 August. I chose that date para swerte - 08/08. For added luck, the first things we moved to our new place are sugar, salt and rice. Sinamahan ko na rin ng pasta :)

Ang sarap ng tulog namin esp on the first night. Kahit na ang daming kahon na nakakalat, nakatulog kami agad. Pano namang hindi, sobra kaming napagod. It would have been worst if we didn’t have Janjing, Ate Chris and some friends to help us out (maraming salamat).

Last weekend we started doing some fixings in the house. Dalawang puno yung nilagare ko so that we can have more sunlight in the house. Si Henry naman nagpalit ng 14 na ilaw. Galit kasi yon sa high wattage bulbs. Si Vince naman tumulong mag linis ng gutter. Marami pang kailangang ayusin but we’ll do it slowly (magastos din kasi)

Next time ko na ipo-post yung mga pictures. Di ko pa mahanap yung cable ng camera. I’m sure it’s in one of those 10 unopened boxes.

We're moving

After 5 months of house-hunting and relentless assistance from our agent Jane, nakakita rin kami ng bahay na malilipatan. Sabi nga ni Jane, mahirap talagang maghanap ng bahay ng maganda na mura.

In two weeks, we're moving to a quiet street in Totara Vale, North Shore (1km away from our current address). The house was built in mid-80s (medyo luma na) but the owners kept it well. Hindi masyadong malaki yubng bahay pero maraming space sa bakuran para paglaruan ng mga bata.

Kagabi ko lang naisip na dapat pala nagsisimula na kaming mag-impake. We don’t have much time left. Nakapuno ako ng 5 kahon. 10% lang yon ng mga gamit namin. Sa weekend, naglalaba ako ng kurtina at mag-lilinis ng garden. Looking at the checklist from the property manager, marami pa kaming dapat asikasuhin. Wala munang badminton. This moving thing will surely make us sweat and dead tired.

The end of the bridge

Ate Chris finished her bridging course on Friday (she'll get her registration in 2 to 4 weeks). It's been a very good experience for her. She got exposure to resthome and hospital enviroments, had a lot of sleep-deprived days to meet homework deadlines, met a lot of pinoys in her class (she's now very good friends with most of them), experience the different cultures in Auckland, and so much more.

Today she has started applying for job. She's submitted her CV for different nursing areas which she thinks she's prepared to handle. But I advised her against wards with A H1N1. North Shore Hospital is her preferred workplace. Lapit lang kasi sa amin.

Hopefully, job hunting and work permit application would be hassle-free. She misses her kids so much.

Meet the neighbors (episode 3)

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to meet our Meadowood neighbours again (third time). The organizers made this get-together more interesting by turning it into an international food festival. Meron pang bonus, costumes, culture and other stuffs from different countries were showcased.

8 countries were represented. Merong galing India, South Africa, Samoa, Korea, Congo, Russia, New Zealand and the Philippines. Ang pinakabongga, syempre ang Pinas. We’re well represented. Nakita nila ang different sizes, colors and faces of the Filipinos. Meron din mga nagsuot ng costume (di ako kasali, walang kasya sa akin). Maraming pagkain – lumpiang sariwa, adobo, palitaw, paella and (my very own) buko-pandan salad. And we had a big poster that said a lot of info about the Philippines (courtesy of Peachy). Nagulat silang lahat sa population natin – 90M.

Knowing the people in your area is very important. Not only that it makes you feel you belong, it also gives you a sense of security. And who knows, you might develop good friendship with them.

Hard-earned money

Been busy lately so blogging was put aside. Anyway ….

I took Monday and Tuesday off coz Vince was unwell (from cough and asthma).

Tuesday night, may inabot na papel sa akin si Vince. It says “Mum, thanks for taking care of me”. Moments later, may papel na namang inaabot. Pagtingin ko, $5 bill. Kasi hindi daw ako nakapag-work tapos ang dami kong binayaran sa doctor and prescriptrion. Hard-earned money nya yon (earned from me!) kaya I was so touched.

Today, I had Starbucks coffee and muffin for breakfast. Thanks to Vince :)

Explore Auckland

We have a long weekend this week as tomorrow, 1st Monday of June, is Queen's Birthday. This means we can take Ate X to more places.

Auckland is a lovely place and there are a lot of places to visit and activities to experience. Hindi na kailangang lumayo. I have listed below some popular destinations.

Libre:

• One Tree Hill
• Mt. Victoria, Devonport
• Devonport Wharf
• Auckland Museum
• Explore the CBD via City Circuit (free bus)
• Botanic Gardens
• Gannet Colony at Muriwai
• Long Bay
• Takapuna Beach
• Mission Bay
• Orewa
• Goat Island Marine Reserve
• Parnell Rose Garden (aka Dove-Myer Robinson Park)
• Pinoy Mass @ Balmoral Church (lots of pinoy deli sold outside the church after the mass)

May bayad:

• Auckland Art Gallery
• Stardome Observatory
• Auckland Zoo
• Motat
• Sky Tower* - pwedeng mag-dinner, sky walk o bungy jump
• Kelly Tarlton*
• Rainbow’s End*
• Rangitoto Island * - via Fuller’s Ferry
• Waiheke Island
• Snow Planet, Silverdale
• Auckland Maritime Museum - www.maritimemuseum.co.nz
• Auckland Bridge Jump
  

Auckland MultiPass - $99 for adult; $59 for kids

Honorary nurse

On Thursday, I took Ate Chris (a.k.a. Ate X) to her orientation @ UNITEC Henderson. Hindi lang ako basta chaperon, I was actually in the classroom with her and 40 other nurses. I tried to be as quiet as possible para di mapansin nung nurse educator.

When Ate X and I were in college, lagi akong sabit sa kanya. Ilang beses din akong sumama sa kanya when she did her night duty @ UDMC (ayokong maiwan sa boarding house). Naka-nurse uniform din ako para makalusot sa security.

One time there was a coup d’état in Manila and she volunteered for Red Cross. Exciting yon so I volunteered as well. Nag-Red Cross shirt din ako.

Nasubukan ko na din magbakuna. Ate X gave Hepa B vaccine on me and Queenie (our youngest sister), and I did hers. After one minute of instructions and an hour of composing myself, I somehow did it. Tumalab naman.

It takes a lot of stamina and compassion to become a nurse. Ate has those traits, with or without her cap and scrub suit on. As for me, since kulang ako non, pwede na akong honorary nurse.

Leather Jacket and Hopia

Sinundo namin ni Henry si Ate Chris kahapon sa airport. 11am lumapag yung eroplano nya.

Pinagdala ko ng leather jacket si Ate. Sabi ko kasi 'wag na syang magbitbit ng jacket kasi di namn nya yon magagamit sa byahe nya. However, I knew it's gonna be cold outside the airport. But on the contrary, di sya gininaw kahit na manipis na sweater lang yung suot nya (it was 16degrees!). Yun namang hopia (EngBeeTIn na Pandan flavor) para di sya ma-homesick. he he he

By the way, today is our third anniversary in New Zealand (pwede ng mag-apply ng citizenship).

No visa yet

Ate Christine’s nursing competency (a.k.a. bridging) course will commence in 3 weeks. At the moment, she is volunteering in a hospital in Malolos (para prepared di ba). Everything is ready except for her visa. She already got an approval in principle but the final one hasn’t been decided on yet. May isang pirma pang kailangan. haaayyyy……

During her medical test, the doctor found a lump on her neck. After a series of test, it was confirmed that she has goiter (it disproved my initial suggestion that it’s an Adam’s apple). Non-toxic naman yon and no symptoms. The specialist didn't recommend any medication o medical procedure. Hopefully, the medical assessor would give her thumbs up this week.

We are really looking forward to Ate Chris and family to join us here in New Zealand. If it’s not too much to ask, can you please include them in your prayers? Maraming salamat :)

Shannen’s school visit and farewell

Shannen had her second school visit @ St. Joseph’s yesterday morning. Naku, she enjoyed it so much. Ayaw ng umalis. Meron kasi syang 2 kaibigan sa class nya – Annika and Justinne. Sa 5 May pa ang official start nya don (kids in NZ start primary school @ 5yrs old).

There are 13 kids in the class. Seven ang Filipino, one puti, one Indian at yung iba mukhang middle-eastern/European. Eventually there will be 16 kids in the class. So most likely madadagdagan pa yung number ng pinoys :)

Farewell Maru

Nung hapon, farewell party naman ni Shannen sa Maru Montessori (kahit ngayon pa ang last day nya). All the kids sat down to form a circle while Shannen settled on a special chair. Then they did this cute "leaving" ceremony. I was so impressed.

For the food, I bought a chocolate mud cake, baked mini muffins and made ham-cheese-pineapple kebab. Syempre may giveaways din. We gave the boys Ben10 and Spongebob stickers, while the girls got bead bracelets. Medyo nakakapagod yung preparations. But my little helpers Shannen and Vince made things easier and the event more special.

Nanakawan kami!!!

Saturday night, di makita ni Henry yung car tools nya na nakalagay sa shed (nasa likod ng bahay). Nung tinignan nyang maiigi yung laman ng shed, nawawala din yung 5 sets of fishing rod and 2 tackle boxes. Sa loob ng bahay wala naman kaming napansin na nawawala. Haayy... mabuti na lang.

That same moment, I rang 111 to report the incident to the police. Sunday early morning, they sent a forensic officer (parang CSI). Kukuha sana sya ng finger prints however di daw sya makakakuha ng significant samples dun sa site. She gave me a reference number for insurance claim but unfortunately wala kaming home contents insurance (today meron na!)

I still believe NZ is a safe place but you still have to secure your belongings. Another lesson learned.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!!!

Bakasyon kami dito ay from Good Friday to (Easter) Monday. Kahit na hindi kami nag-out-of-town like most kiwis would do, we had a lot of activities that kept us busy.

Good Friday. Vince and I went to St. Joseph Church to see the re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross. The kids from St. Joseph’s School did a very good job. Merong part na may unexpected scene-stealer. Yung isang guardia sibil nag-collapse sa stage. Akala namin part pa yung ng program. It was only after the teacher picked up the kid that we realised it was not in the script. Kawawa naman yung bata, facedown ang pagkakahulog.

Black Saturday. House-hunting. waaahhhh…. ang hirap maghanap ng bahay na mura, safe at maganda.

Easter Sunday. Nag-dinner kami sa bahay nila Peachie (busmate ko). A few months back nagkaron ng Meet Your Neighbors sa aming area. I believe there are about 12 pinoy families in Meadowood pero kami lang ni Peachie ang present. Baka shy yung iba (kami kasi hindi, he he he). So we thought of inviting some pinoys for dinner. I’m really pleased Peachie offered her place.

Easter Monday. I woke up early to do walking. Meadowood and Totara Vale ang nasa itinerary ko which is about 5.5kms. Nakaka-50minutes walking na ako ng may nakita akong aso sa isang reserve/park. Nagkatitigan kami. Iba yung tingin nya sa akin. Na-sense nya ata na super duwag ako. Umatras ako. I made another attempt to move forward after a minute. Pero masama talaga ang tingin nya sa akin. So tinawagan ko si Henry para sunduin ako. He he he….

10 April - HO's 34th and daugther Hannah's 2nd bday

Birthday and ice cream

Last week, I bought a special ice cream for a special occasion. It was my dad's birthday on 4 April. And to him, a birthday is never complete without an ice cream (pero kahit ice drop ok na sa kanya). The kids got excited when I took the container out of the freezer. Gusto nga nilang ubusin yon but I asked them to save some. Baka sakaling maisipan ni daddy na pasyalan kami, eh di may matitikman pa sya. I really miss him :(

Happy Birthday Dad!

April 1: $5,000 Govt Stimulus Package

While on my way to work yesterday, I heard in the radio that the government is giving away $5000 to people earning above $50K a year. This is part of the government's stimulus (to stimulate spending).

Aba, sobra akong na-excite. I was already spending the money in my mind. Io-overhaul ko yung living room namin plus I'll replace one of our beds. Bibili din ako ng bagong shoes and racket for badminton. Pagdating ko sa opis, tatawagan ko agad si Henry to share the good news. Ii-spread ko din yon amongst my workmates.

Kaso bago ako nakababa ng bus, it was revealed that that was an April Fools thing. What??? Hindi yon totoo??? I cant believe I fell for it. We've been busy the past few weeks trying to apply the real April 1 tax changes into our system. And that one was definitely not included. Ewan ko ba bakit ako naniwala. Oh well, at least it gave me a few minutes of shopping. kahit na sa panaginip lang.