House in a Minute... PART II

Hello ulit! To continue my previous post...

My partner is not very keen in buying the house so he convinced me to look for other options before kami mag-offer dun sa Newlands house. Friday, Sept 22 nung tumawag si broker para i-confirm na approved na ng Westpac ang loan namin! Yey! We can loan 70K more than what we expected, less the fees, plus, we get to keep our money!

Saturday, Sept 23, while we're surfing the net - looking for more houses - one agent called my partner and asked if we are interested in giving an offer to one of the houses that we've viewed before. We passed and told him that we are now looking at a budget of this much. He's got some houses within that price range that he wanted to show us. We met with him that afternoon. He showed us 3 houses and none of those even came near to the house in Newlands. The last and 4th house he showed us was in J'ville.

My partner immediately fell in love with the house. It was bigger, and of course, more expensive than MY house in Newlands. The agent said that this is a POA and that the RV is this much (less than 50K our budget).

POA - Price on Application. If this is the marketing strategy, pwede kang magbigay ng offer anytime. The earlier, the better. Mas maganda kung ala kang kasabay na nagooffer para yung vendor, sa offer mo lang naka-depend ang decision.

Monday, Sept 25 when we viewed this J'ville house for the second time. Before viewing, my partner and I made a list: J'ville house vs. Newlands house... For 40-50K more of the price, what can we get from the J'ville house (na wala sa Newlands house):

1. Bigger floor area (120 sqm vs 183 sqm)
2. Bigger land area
3. Better view (walang view yung house sa Newlands, yung sa Jville, you can see the whole of Jville)
4. Bigger deck area.
5. Double garage vs. Single garage
6. Better garage access
7. Better neighboorhood (subdivision type ang nasa Jville)
8. Bigger rooms and better kitchen
9. Jville house is just 3 1/2 years old
10. Jville house has a spa.
11. Mas malaki ang potential niya for renovation and expansion

In short, I was convinced na magbigay ng offer sa house na to. We offered 30K more than the RV. The vendor counter-offerred, 50K more than the RV. We end up closing the deal at 42K more than the RV. Take note, these things happened in just a few hours! and just two days after we first viewed the house!!! Hehehe.

We have 5 days to have the building checked and valuated. After the settlement date, the house is ours!!

Walah! Our target months are October-November and we were able to buy a house in September!

House in a Minute

We're so excited coz we just bought a 3-bedroom house. Surprised? Kami rin.

Ever since we stepped foot in NZ, my partner and I have always planned to buy a house within a year. This is also in preparation to my daughter's arrival in April next year. I arrived January 2006 and our target month to buy a house is October-November 2006. At first, it seemed impossible, though we really wanted to buy a house before we bring my daughter here.

July 2006 when we started viewing houses. One house a week is not too bad. It's still early anyway. We initially went to ASB bank to apply for a pre-approval. We're thinking of borrowing 100% of the amount from the bank. Napre-approve naman kami - for a certain amount. The problem is, ang daming fees na babayaran. Sa fees pa lang, talo ka na. Pero since me figure na, ok na rin sa amin.. kesa nanghuhula kami ng amount na pwede naming hiramin sa bank.

September 16 when we saw this cute house in Newlands. Isang picture lang ang nakalagay sa internet at it looks modern. It is still within our initial budget so perfect sana. We contacted the agent and arranged for a special viewing. The house is "sooo" perfect for me. Unang pasok ko pa lang sa house, na-feel ko na ang connection namin. My partner loved it initially, too. Pasok sa halos lahat ng requirements namin sa isang house - malapit sa main road and bus stop, modern style inside and out, modern kitchen, less than 5 years old, good insulation (all windows are double glazed), may deck din naman, mukang tahimik naman sa paligid. In short, this is the house for me. The only problem is.. Closed tender siya and sa October 3 pa ang closing. Meaning, sa Oct 3 mo pa malalaman kung ano ang result ng tender. Closed, so hindi mo alam kung sino ang mga kalaban mo sa bidding (kung meron man). And Oct 3 is more than two weeks away. Meaning, two weeks ka pang di hihinga while waiting for the result... na hindi ka pa nga sure kung ikaw ang magugustuhan.

CLOSED TENDER - This is a type of offer wherein, pagsasama-samahin ang lahat ng offer sa property at sabay-sabay rereviewhin ng vendor (sa closed tender date). Pipiliin niya ngayon ang best offer - not necessary the highest one. Ang usual na tinitingnan dito is yung offer at yung mga conditions na binibigay ng buyer. Kung marami ka masyado conditions sa offer mo, tapos mababa pa ang offer mo, you can forget about winning this bid. Hehehe.

One week ko ring inisip isip at iniyakan ang house na 'to. The asking price is 10K less our initial budget. Ok na sana, kaso, I really wanted to win coz I really wanted this house. Gusto ko ng sure win and the only thing we can think of during that time is to give two offers:

Offer#1: Yung asking price with no conditions (meaning, susugal kami sa quality ng house)
Offer#2: 20K above the asking price but subject to builder's report, finance and title search.

Offer#1 is ok. But offer number 2 is not. We're 10K short. Actually, less than 10K short pero ayaw naman naming masagad ang pera namin so we thought of the following options:

1. Talk to our ASB contact and persuade her to increase our loan by 10K.
2. Look for another bank that might also give us 100% loan but 20K higher than what ASB is giving. Although during that time, wala kaming alam na ibang bank na nagbibigay ng 100%.
3. Raise enough money (in less than 2 weeks) and go to Westpac to apply for a 90% loan. At least, less ang fees dito dahil meron kaming Telecom employee pac.

Out of these three, we decided to take option 3. Our means of raising enough money is to borrow from our friends. Huhuhu. But before telling them, we decided to speak to our mortgage broker first to check if we have other (or more) options.

Sept 20 nung kinausap namin si broker. She brought us this very good news! Just that Wednesday, nag-start nang mag-offer ang Westpac ng 100% loan to first time home buyers. Sobrang ganda nga raw ng timing namin. Actually, nakausap na namin siya around July 2006 and sinabi niya noon na although maganda ang offer ng Westpac, they can only give us a max of 90% loan. And that time, di pa enough ang pera namin to make up to 10% of the amount na gusto naming i-loan.

Anyway, so we took this option. Guess what?? Now we can borrow more than 70K of what ASB is offering us. Less all the fees (waived!)! Sabi ni broker, eto raw ang amount na pwede naming hiramin na hindi namin iindahin ang mortgage. Wow! That's actually more than what we are asking for! Ang bait talaga ni Lord.

Grabe, ang haba na nito. If you're keen on knowing what happened next, just read on to my next post. Inaantok na ako eh (yawn!)

ATTENTION: Telecom New Zealand JOB SEEKERS!

Para po sa mga nasa IT/Telecoms Industry at interested na mag-apply sa Telecom New Zealand, ganito lang po maisa-suggest ko na gawin niyo:

1. Prepare your resume and cover letter (remember, keep it short and simple - pakisama na din don ang inyong immigration status)
2. Punta po kayo sa site na 'to: www.telecom.co.nz/content/0,8748,203722-203025,00.html#jobs Sa bandang baba po eh may isang window na nakalagay yung list ng mga job openings sa TNZ, regardless of the profession. Scroll niyo lang po pababa yon at me makikita kayong link na Submit your profile. Click niyo to at gumawa kayo ng account niyo.
3. I-complete niyo po ang on-line application form/Candidate Profiler form. Eto po yung usual na lamang pages nun:
a. Personal information
b. Basic profile information (e.g. Job preference niyo, including date of availability, parttime or fulltime, etc). Sa bandang baba po nitong page na ito e hihingi ng info regarding your work experience. Since me resume ka na, click Continue na lang.
c. Next page po eh yung more detailed specification ng Job Category na preference niyo.
d. Next page po ulit, yun namang detailed specification ng Job Function na preference niyo.
e. Skills. Dito masusukat ang IT and Telecoms exposure niyo.
f. Attachments. Dito niyo na po ia-upload ang resume niyo.
g. Pagkatapos niyo pong i-click yung "Continue", me lalabas pong page na may nakalagay na Congratulations! Click niyo lang po to: Show jobs matching my profile at dadalhin na kayo sa list ng mga jobs na pwede niyong apply-an.

Note: Wag po kayong masiraan ng loob kung nasa Pinas pa lang kayo, nagsisimula pa lang sa Immigration application or even nasa 0 stage pa lang ng application. NAG-I-IMPORT po ang TNZ kung alam nilang kailangan nila ang isang tao para sa isang position. May ilan na rin pong mga member ng pinoyz2nz ang na-import ng Telecom NZ from the Philippines (isa na po ako don and yung above procedure lang po ang ginawa ko). ACCREDITED Employer po sila - plus they have all the facilities to interview somebody kahit pa overseas. Gusto niyo ng proof? Eto po ang sinasabi ng Telecom sa kanilang website: (www.telecom.co.nz/content/0,8748,200708-203025,00.html)

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Applying from overseas?

The Telecom Group is New Zealand's largest privately listed company and biggest information and communications technology supplier. We operate in one of the world's most exciting industries and our size and scope enables us to offer career opportunities unrivalled in our marketplace.
Our 8,300 people are a courageous, achievement-driven and competitive lot, who span a variety of vocations but share a common passion for what technology can do for people.
We have an outstanding record of success. In New Zealand we are the:
Market leaders in IT
Fastest growing mobile provider
Market leading Broadband and Internet Service Provider
Market leaders in telecommunications
Biggest and best nationally renowned directories business
The Telecom Group has all the advantages of a large and well resourced organisation while also offering the benefits of being able to work within smaller teams across our large number of business units. Even better, Telecom is recognised internationally as a top performer in our field - so you don't have to sacrifice your career ambitions for the lifestyle that New Zealand provides - you really can have it all!
Telecom does give preference to candidates who have the legal right to work in New Zealand (New Zealand or Australian citizens, as well as holders of a valid work or residence visa or permit issued by the New Zealand Immigration Service). If you are not a New Zealand or Australian citizen, contact the New Zealand Immigration Service to see if you are eligible to work in New Zealand.
Note: Telecom may be able to assist you with your application for a work or residence permit if you have suitable specialised skills not available in our local market. When you apply online, the recruitment team will determine whether this is the case and contact you.

O sya, sana po ay makatulong ito kahit papaano. Sensya na po at ngayon ko lang nai-post ang tungkol dito. Goodluck po sa lahat and regards!

Treating our homesickness with BWN!

Earlier today, nag-subscribe kami ni Partner sa ABS-CBN Now. For 5 USD a month, we can watch 10 Pinoy shows of ABS-CBN - kasama na ang Bituing Walang Ningning (BWN). Naalala ko kasi na eto yung paboritong panoorin ng mga kamag-anak ko sa Navotas - pati na yung unica hija ko. Kaya eto, gabi-gabi, isang episode ng BWN ang pinapanood namin ni Partner (na walang magawa kundi makinood! Hehehe). Kadalasan, habang nagd-dinner kami nanood na para bang nasa Pinas lang kami. Kahit papano, kahit sandali, nagagamot ang aming homesickness. Hehehe.

Ispeling bee?? Whaaat??

NZ spelling bee...Pinoys in NZ, have you heard about this? Have you watched this show? ... A bunch of Kiwi/NZ smart kids competing to become the Spelling Bee champion.

The first time I've watched this show, I chuckled. Naisip ko, makakalusot man lang ba sa elimination ang isang Pinoy na gaya ko? At a glance, you would think that it's that easy... Sisiw.. But what if ipa-spell na sa'yo ang pen (which they pronounce as "pin")? I bet you would say P-I-N! Would it help if the announcer would use "PEN" in a sentence just to give you a clue? Say "Grab a "PEN" and write these down..." Baka magtaka ka pa kung bakit gagawing pansulat ang PIN? Hehehe.

How about ten (which they pronounce as "tin")? Oh no, don't make me start with the word DECK at baka maiskandalo ka, lalo na kung gagamitin sa sentence na: "We have a large "DECK". Hahaha.

Ang Pagbabalik ni RHOSE sa Auckland

Excited na ako sa trip namin ni partner to Auckland (scheduled on 2nd week of July). Kausap ko na si Ka Uro, Carlo and Jun para i-meet sila doon at patulong na rin para di masayang ang maikling oras na nandun kami. Imi-meet din namin dun ang isa naming dating kasamahan sa PLDT na si Cathy. Taga-Hamilton sya pero bbyahe siya to Auckland that weekend para makasama kami.

Pagbabalik? Tama po ang title ha. Pagbabalik talaga. Kung mababasa niyo ang previous post ko nung January, malalaman niyo po kung bakit pagbabalik ang title nito. Just a short recap, Auckland po ang unang part ng NZ na napuntahan ko - at di po masyadong maganda ang alaala ko dun. Magkahalong shock, frustration at pagod ang naramdaman ko. If you want to know more, balikan niyo na lang po yung January post ko entitled "Eto naman ang New Zealand adventure ko."

So ayun po, hopefully pagbalik namin jan sa Auckland eh, mapalitan na yan ng magagandang memories (of course with the help of my friends!)

See yah!

Sino ang nagsabing boring ang Palmy?

Ilang friends ko rin dito sa Wellington ang nabigla at natawa nung sinabi kong pupunta kami ng Palmerston North this weekend. The instant question is - ano naman ang gagawin niyo don? Kesyo wala naman daw masyadong mapapasyalan doon. Bakit daw kelangan pang mag-overnight eh 2-hour drive lang naman yon. Kaysa Palmy daw, pumunta na lang daw kami ng Taupo or Rotorua. Nahihiya na tuloy ako minsan na ipakita ang excitement ko sa nalalapit na weekend getaway namin na yon - not to mention na apat lang kaming susugod sa lugar na yon, at panalo pa ang weather forecast sa Palmerston for that weekend - heavy rain with possible hale. Haaay, parang nakakatamad nga noh?

Buti na lang at nag-GO pa rin kami. Tuloy pa rin kahit malakas ang ulan sa ilang part na dinaanan namin. Oks naman ang byahe balikan kasi puro kwentuhan at tawanan sa loob ng sasakyan.

Day 1, Saturday - Almost 11am na kaming dumating sa Palmerston North. Ang aming first stop (according to our itinerary), Manfield Park - to watch the Victoria Club Motorcycle Race. Actually, nasa Fielding ito. Naka-raincoat kaming lahat. Naka-gloves, bonnet at iba pang rain gears while watching the race. It was awesome! It was the first time in my life (actually, our life), that we were able to watch a Race live and up close! ... and it's really one of the best experience I had so far since I arrived here in NZ. Nagsisigawan na kami habang nag-uusap dahil sa lakas ng tunog ng mga motorcycles - but we didn't care. All we know is that we really are enjoying what we are seeing. Kahit umuulambon at umuusok ang bibig namin dahil sa lamig, picture-picture pa rin.

Our next stop, NZ Rugby Museum. Oks ang collection dito, from the smallest Rugby pins, old cups, trophies to uniform and life size posters. Friendly pa ang mga tagabantay - binigyan pa kami ng short explanation about New Zealand Rugby. Di niyo 'to dapat palampasin kung magagawi kayo sa Palmy.

After visiting the museum, we're off to our next stop - Daytona Go Kart racing. Nagmamadali kami dahil naka-book kami for 4:15pm at 15 minutes lang ang itatagal ng race na 'to. After watching a race at Fielding, kami-kami naman ang magkakarera. Kahit ilang laps, kahit gaano kabilis, kahit ilang beses kang mabunggo, kahit magkamali ka ng puntahan (pit stop)...basta umikut ka lang nang umikot sa race track. Ang saya-saya...first time naming apat na mag-Go Kart (sadly, sa 20+ years ko sa Pinas, di ko nagawa to kahit minsan) at enjoy na enjoy talaga kame. Kung di lang mahal ang bayad ($26.50 - mahal na sa akin yan noh!), I'm sure uulitin namin yan....

We spend the night at Tita Rose's house c/o Kate (ka-backpacker ko at friend namin ni Achie). Kwentuhan, bonding at kainan. Funny, that's the first time na ma-meet ko si Kate personally. Sa email at backpack NZ ko lang kasi sya nakakausap.

Kinabukasan, around 10AM, nagpaalam na kami kina Kate at Tita Rose para pumunta sa Victoria Esplanade. Balak sana naming sumakay sa mini-Train kaso mukang di pa yata available that early so we just spent the day at the Esplanade park. Nag-Flying Fox kame (finally, napasakay ko rin si Partner!) at nagtatalun sa trampoline. Ang saya-saya. Parang kameng bumalik sa pagka-bata.

Then our last stop...The Ultimate Mini-Golf. Dito na kame nag-ubos ng oras. Tinapos naming ang 18-hole. Habang bumubuhos ang malakas na ulan sa labas ng Palmy Rec Centre, nagpapaka-enjoy naman kame sa paglalaro sa loob.

Umuwi kaming wala ni isang bakas ng panghihinayang. Puro kwentuhan - nag-enjoy ang lahat sa gimik na yon. Thanks nga pala to Jing and Mike - sila po ang kasama namin ni Partner sa gimik na yon. Thanks din to Tita Rose and Kate for accomodating us.

New Zealand Weather Update - Winter na talaga!

Hello Peeps!
Share ko lang po sa inyo 'tong nabasa ko about the ongoing weather situation in NZ. Just when I thought, being new here in NZ, na normal lang dito ang mga na-experience namin last night and this morning... Aba, national issue na pala.

My experience:

Around 11PM, sumakay na po kami ni partner sa car namin dahil ihahatid niya ako sa office (take note, although walang bubong, napapaligiran ng building ang parking lot na to). While nasa loob ng car, binuksan na ni partner ang makina at medyo nagpapainit lang muna bago kami umalis. Guess what, umaalog ang car namin dahil sa lakas ng hangin! (Imagine feeling an earthquake while inside your car). O sya, yan lang po... sayang di ko maipo-post ang short video clip ng nakuhaan ko kanina - about how strong the wind was this morning (at least dito sa may Mt. Victoria suburb). Take note, northerlies pa lang daw yan and later today, strong southerlies naman daw. Kaya ang lowest forecasted temperature namin today eh 5C, sa CHCH, I think eh, -2C. Check out ang lowest namin tomorrow dito sa Welly: 2C!

Medyo napasarap na po ang kwento ko... Anyway, eto na po ang news:

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Snow blankets the south
source: http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/747609
Jun 12, 2006

The snow, which has brought parts of Canterbury to a standstill is expected to clear in most parts by Monday afternoon. South Canterbury is blanketed by as much as 30 centimetres in what could be one of the heaviest snow storms since the big fall of 1992. Falls are down to sea level in Timaru where it has has downed power-lines around. Power outages are reported around Lake Tekapo. The Timaru District Council is urging residents to stay at home.

Council spokesman, Graham Stillwell, says all roads are closed - as are businesses and schools. He says there are trees and powerlines down in some places and due to fluctuating power, people are being advised to conserve electricity and drinking water. Further north, the lines company Orion says about 5,000 of its customers, from Weedons west to the Southern Alps are without power. Several roads are closed in the South Island, including State Highway One between Ashburton and Timaru, State Highway 8 between Timaru and Lake Tekapo and the road between Springfield and Arthurs Pass. In Christchurch, a number of roads are closed in the Port Hills and some bus services have been cancelled. Christchurch Airport is closed.

MetService had issued a heavy snow warning for Canterbury, south of Banks Peninsula and says there's a good chance half a metre of snow will fall in some areas. Bob McDavitt from MetService says the weather is the result of a rapidly deepening low pressure system in the Tasman sea.
In the North Island, severe gales are buffeting areas from Wellington to Northland. Storms force gusts of up to 130 kilometres per hour have been recorded in the capital, lifting roofs and blowing in windows.

A major power outage is affecting the upper North Island, including most of of Auckland. Transpower says it appears the bad weather hitting the country has caused the problem and has staff working to fix it. Trees have come down on State Highway four between Wanganui and Raetihi and the police say contractors are working to clear the debris. Debris on State Highway five north of Napier, has been cleared.

The gales are not due to ease until Monday afternoon when the winds turn southerly. Greymouth cleans up in wake of tornado. A clean up is underway in Greymouth following a small twister and torrential rain on the South Island's West Coast on Sunday. The tornado damaged a number of houses in Marlborough Street on Sunday, peeling back roofs, smashing windows, ripping off a verandah and demolishing a garage.

Rain also caused slips and flooding and washed out the rail line near Stillwater. The tracks are expected to be patched up by Monday morning. Grey District Mayor, Tony Kokshoorn, says several businesses and houses in Runanga were flooded. He says contractors worked into the night clearing rocks and debris off roads.

Virtual Visitor

Today is my daughter's 4th birthday. I asked my parents (and sister-in-law) to throw a small party for her in our house and just invite our relatives and some of her close friends. And kanina nga, I called them up using Skype. I wanted to attend her party - kahit as a virtual visitor.

She was so excited when she saw me. She was wearing her blouse and skirt birthday outfit na ilang araw niya na ring pinagmamalaki sa akin. Tumuntong pa sa chair para ipakita sa akin ang buong outfit niya. She looked very happy and seemed to have been enjoying her small party. I get to talk to all of her visitors - my cousins, my tito and titas, my daughters friends, etc. Socializing kung baga, as if I'm also there.

When eating time came, she asked her tita to slice her a cake and she ate it in front of the webcam. Inalok pa ako at nilapit sa webcam yung food, as if gusto talagang ipakain sa akin. Gusto kong maluha... Gusto kong magdisappear sa kinaroroonan ko, pumasok sa webcam ko, at lumabas sa webcam nila. Para naman mayakap ko ang bebi ko - on her special day. Pero pinigil ko nalang ang sarili ko. It's her birthday and I don't wanna ruin it by crying.

She's grown, really. And some day, I'm still praying, that I would make up to all the missing months in our life. Someday, next year. Hopefully!

Snow fall in Wellington???

Sabi nung isang Kiwi friend namin, nagkaka-snow daw dito sa Wellington every roughly 5 years. Yung last snow fall daw dito is 5 years ago so most probably, this year or next year magkakasnow! Totoo man o hindi, exciting di ba? Ang sayasaya! Hehehe.

Pang-International talaga ang Pinoy

Alam niyo ba, kung di pa ako magtrabaho dito sa NZ, di ko pa malalaman (or at least maaappreciate) na pang-International talaga ang Pinoy. Ako po ay naka-linya sa Telecommunications, and for the past 5 years of my life in my previous company at sa larangang ito, I never thought na ang dami palang Pinoy out there na naka-linya sa Telecommunications. Ganito kasi yon, na-assign ako sa International Division ng Telecom. Bale ang trabaho po namin, eh makipag-coordinate sa mga Telecom Services Companies sa iba't ibang parte ng mundo na meron kaming inter-connection - be it complaints, testing, etc. Ngayon pong 4 months na akong part ng grupo na ito, na-amaze ako sa mga natuklasan ko... Maraming Pinoy na naka-assign din sa mga foreign counterparts namin.

Like for example, kanina, me ka-coordinate akong tao from an Australian Telco. Ang tagal naming nag-uusap ng English. Then nung magpapaalam na, at nagtanungan ng pangalan, naglakas loob na syang magtanong kung Pinay ba ako. Cue ko na yon. I said yes, exhaled with relief, then followed it up with "Grabe ang hirap noh?! Hehehe. So kamusta naman kayo...."

Hindi lang sa OZ, meron din kaming nakakausap from Hongkong, Singapore, Japan, UAE, US, Saudi Arabia, Canada, at marami pang iba - lahat sila ay na-assign sa International group nila. Haaay, after every conversation, lalo akong nagiging proud to be a Pinoy.

My Job Hunting Experience

Job Hunting. Ano nga ba ang tamang steps at strategy dito? Meron ba itong tamang formula? Nakukuha ba ang tagumpay nito sa tamang format ng resume? Mabulaklak na cover letter? Five-page list ng Seminars Attended? Padrino?

Ang masasabi ko lang – I don’t think so.

First of all, bigyan ko lang po kayo ng "brief" info about me. Dumating po ako dito sa Wellington, NZ last January 2006 – armed with a Work Visa under Talent category. Sa Telecom po ako nagtatrabaho and believe it or not, sa age kong 27, pang-apat na company na ito na napagtrabahuhan ko.

First job ko ay sa Rohm LSI sa Makati. Nauna pa ang first pay ko sa company na ‘to kesa sa pagmamartsa ko para sa Graduation Day namin. How did I land on this job? Ganito kasi yun…Me isa akong kaibigan na gustong makapasok sa company na ‘to. She told me na marami daw opening and there’s no harm in trying. Why not? Ika nga, so nakisabay na ako sa kanya sa pagpapasa ng resume. Fortunately, after a week, natawagan kami pareho. Exam, Interview and presto! I got the job. Sampu kaming na-hire. Di kasama ang friend ko. I don’t know why.

Next job: Philips Semicon sa Laguna. My ex got a job at Fujitsu Laguna so he suggested na it’s better to find a job in a company nearby (or better kung Fujitsu din) para magkasama pa rin kami. So eto, apply naman ako sa Laguna. Nagpasa ako sa Philips (eto yata ang pinakamalaki at kilalang semicon company sa part na 'yun ng Laguna kaya ito ang inuna ko – kahit wala akong nakitang opening sa Manila Bulletin, go pa rin ako.). Then sinamahan ako ng ex ko sa Fujitsu. ‘Lam niyo ba, libo yata ang nag-aaply dito everyday kaya nung makita ko yung pila ng mga applicants, napa-atras ako! I told my ex na lang na kung di ako matatanggap sa Philips, balik na lang ako sa Manila – but never akong mag-aapply sa Fujitsu! Hehehe. Luckily, natanggap naman ako sa Philips and I’ve worked there for more than a year.

Then came I time na feeling ko eh, kelangan ko nang mag-shift ng career, dahil nagsisimula na ang crisis sa Semicon Industry. I thought na mas secure ang job sa Telecom Industry – so apply na naman ako. Ang maling strategy ko, nagresign muna ako bago mag-apply ng work. January ako nagfile ng resignation, January din ako nagpunta ng Makati para ibigay sa friend kong nagttrabaho sa Smart ang resume ko. Take note, ipapakiabot ko lang ang resume ko! Pagkakuha niya, nagsuggest ba naman ang mokong na pumunta daw ako sa PLDT Boni at magsubmit din ng resume. Isang sakay lang naman daw yun ng bus at drop box lang. Wala naman daw masama. What the heck di ba? From Laguna, nagbyahe ako to Makati… Anu ba naman yung dumaan na ako sa Boni at baka maka-swerte diba? After a week, tinawagan na ako ng PLDT and dun na ako nagwork eversince. Take note ulit, yung rookie/college format resume na ginamit ko nung first time akong mag-apply ng job, yun pa rin yung ginamit ko sa PLDT! And natanggap pa rin ako, considering Semicon ako galing!

So I have worked there for more than 4 years until the NZ fever came.

After reading this, pwede niyo na bang masagot ang una kong tanong? Ano nga ba ang tamang steps at strategy dito? – Walang steps my friends! Strategy? Tyaga lang siguro at lakas ng loob.

Meron ba itong tamang formula? – I don’t think so.

Nakukuha ba ang tagumpay nito sa tamang format ng resume? – Walang NZ-style resume, walang PLDT format, walang Philips format. Ang importante, ilagay mo ang totoo sa resume mo, di na kailangang mabulaklak at sobrang haba. Kung nandun ang qualifications na kailangan nila, tatawagan at tatawagan ka ng mga kumpanya - NZ man o PH. Kung wala, di ka naman nila tatawagan di ba?

Mabulaklak na cover letter? – keep this short. Very short. Yung essential intro ng qualifications mo lang ang kelangan dito. Oops, kung NZ application from overseas, don’t forget to mention kung anong immigration application status mo.

Five-page list ng Seminars Attended? – Believe me, tatamarin silang basahin to. Just put the essentials. KISS: Keep it short and simple! (teka, di ba KISAS yun? Hehehe)

Padrino? – Di ito nagwork sa akin.

The bottom line is – kung para sa yo, ibibigay sa yo. Paano ka makaka-hit ng magandang opportunity kung hindi mo it-try di ba? Goodluck ulit to all and thanks for reading this!

May Mas GOOD NEWS pa ba dito????

Just this morning, naiyak ako sa kaligayahan nung mabasa ko 'tong post ng isang pinoyz2nz member:
------------------

Hi peeps!

Me bagong guidelines regarding minors travelling with one parent. Effective April 1, minors traveling with only one parent are *NOTrequired* to secure a travel permit. They only need to show proof of their relationship, such as birth certificate of minor + marriage certificate of parents.

For minors whose parents are not married, there're no need to secure a travel permit if the minor is traveling with the mother. However, fathers traveling with their illegitimate child are still required to secure a parental travel permit which shows that the mother is allowing her child to travel with his/her father.

Hope this will be useful info for our NZ-bound kapatids.

Cheers!

-------------------
Yung pong nag-post nito ay nagw-work sa DSWD.

I would say that this is really a miracle...And I thank GOD for this.
Now for mothers like me, answer my question: "May mas GOOD NEWS pa ba dito???"

"Sige, Next!"

One week pa lang kaming nakatira dito sa aming apartment. Wala pang car so 100% na nagre-rely sa bus kung pupunta kami sa CBD and other suburbs.

Last night, we rode a bus ulit pauwi. My partner and I chose to sit sa first row (yung alloted seats para sa matatanda at disabled. Hehehe). We heard the bus driver muttering some words. His voice is so low that we cannot understand it. Pero I suspect na kami ang kinakausap dahil panaka-naka siyang tumitingin sa amin sa rear view mirror niya.

Kinalabit ko si partner and binulungan: "Tayo yata ang kinakausap ng driver." So napatingin na rin si Partner. Nung nakita kami nung driver na nakatingin pareho, he said: "Kamusta kayo?" Shocked, sabay pa kami ni partner na napasmile at napasagot ng "Ok naman po." - sabay hinga ng malalim. Shocked kami coz we didn't expect na Pinoy ang driver - considering yung hitsura niya. He is in his 40's, may makapal na bigote, mestiso, balbon at di naman maliit. Hinding hindi mo iisipin na Asian sya. Kaya gulat talaga kami. And mind you, deretso ang tagalog niya. Hehehe.

So ayun, nagkwento na siya..Kung saan siya nakatira dito sa Wellington at sa Pinas, kelan pa sya nandito, his views about NZ, about sa mga kabataan dito, etc. Parang naiimagine nga namin na nakasakay kami sa harap ng jeep, at nakikinig sa makwentong jeepney driver. Hehehe. Hihinto lang siya pag nasa bus stop dahil magsasakay siya ng pasahero.

Eto pa ang nakakatuwa, nahinto siya sa isang bus stop na maraming sasakay (Puti, Asian, etc). Habang isa-isa niyang kinukuha ang bayad or pina-punch ang mga pass, lam niyo ba ang sinasabi niya sa mga pasahero - mapa Puti man o Asian? "O sige, Next!", "O sige, Next!" "Sige, Next!" Di ko alam kung pinapatawa niya lang kami (pero pwamis, mukha siyang seryoso sa ginagawa niya."

Then nung malapit na kaming bumaba, tinatanong niya pa kami kung saan exactly kami bababa - na parang gusto niya pa kaming ibaba doon, kahit alang bus stop. Hehehe. Feeling tuloy namin, para kaming nasa Pinas lang - na kahit nasa gitna ng kalsada eh, pwede kang pumara.

Anyway, nagshare lang po ako ng isang magandang experience ko dito sa NZ - one of the many things na nagpapagaan ng buhay dito.

Windy Welly PART II

Kwentuhan ko ulit kayo ng ilang ko pang experience ng pakikipag-buno sa hangin ng Wellington... Ewan ko kung makakarelate kayo dito ha....

Naglalakad ako along Tory street one afternoon nang mapansin kong medyo lumalakas ang hangin at lumalamig. While walking, dali-dali kong kinuha ang beanie at scarf ko.

I'm about to cross VIVIAN St. na nun (magisa lang akong nakatayo, just waiting for my time to cross kasi naka-stop pa sa side ko), nang bigla ba namang umihip ang pagkalakas lakas na hangin. Grabe, promise ang lakas talaga. Sa sobrang lakas, napapa-side step ako (pagdi ko ginawa yun, tutumba ako). Natatawa nga ako sa sarili ko kasi kinakayan-kayanan lang ako ng hangin.... Nung makakita ako ng poste, pasimple akong sumandal hanggang sa mag-GO na kami.

Ang siste, dahil sa lakas ng hangin, pag inaangat ko ang paa ko, nililipad! Literally! Di tuloy diretso ang lakad ko - medyo pa-diagonal. Kakatawang experience.... I'm sure marami rin sa atin ang naka-experience niyan dito sa Wonderful WINDY WELLY!

Thanks for reading!

Favorite Past-Time --- SHOPPING!!!

Para sa mga tulad kong mahilig mag-WINDOW shopping (window shopping lang ha! Hehehe), eto mga tip ko sa inyo kung sakaling mapapadpad kayo sa Wellington CBD:

Simulan natin sa Lambton Quay... Alam niyo ba na ang kahabaan ng street na ito eh puro shopping buotiques/commercial spaces on both sides? Nanjan ang mga women's shoppes like GLASSONS, Portman's... mini shopping centres (as compared to the Philippines!) like Farmer's, Kirkaldie and Stains, Harbor city centre... Meron din ditong bilihan ng mga NZ-made items like Sommerfield. Meron ding bilihan ng mga CD like Sounds. And syempre, me branch dito ang Champions of the World - dito nabibili ang mga jersey and other apparel and accessories ng "All Blacks" at Canterbury ang tatak. Well, meron ding mga familiar shoppes like Esprit, Platinum NIKE, AMAZON at Bench (hehehe... joke lang 'tong Bench!). Kung mapapagod ka naman sa pag-shopping, pwede kang kumain sa Mc Donalds at Burger King....

Next is Willis St...Naku, I'm sure sikat tong Street na 'to especially sa mga new migrants! Nandito kasi ang Kathmandu, New World grocery, Paddington Coat Factory, Billabong, JK kids shoppe at yung sikat na sika na FOOD on WILLIS (foodcourt toh.)... Hmmmm, bakit kaya sikat ang Food on Willis???


Lakad ka lang ng konti, you'll reach Manners' and Cuba Malls. Parang kapareho din toh ng mga shoppes sa may Lambton Quay... me MC Do at Burger King kung gusto mong mag-meryenda muna... Trivia: Alam niyo ba na ang Manners' at Cuba Mall are not like the malls in the Philippines??? They are just two short street at right angle with each other.... Me mga shoppes lang sa magkabilang side ng street at di pwedeng daanan ng sasakyan (exclusive for people lang).


Tutal nasa Manners' and Cuba Mall ka na, lakarin mo na papuntang Courtney Place...Ah, para sa akin, eto ang Malate ng Wellington. Marami kasing mga Bar at restaurant dito. Eto lang yung tanging part ng CBD na buhay hanggang late night (especially pag Friday), kasi nga maraming gimikan dito. Nandito rin sa area na to ang ilan sa mga cinemas and theatres na pwede mong panooran...At siyempre, sikat sa mga pogi at not so pogi nating mga friends... ang The Mermaid... Bakit kaya? hehehe. Ngapala, another TRIVIA: Courtney Place is actually a street!


Alam niyo ba na may isang street na magk-cross sa Courney Place na di mo dapat palagpasin??? Eto ang Tory street... Nandito kasi ang The Warehouse.. ewan ko kung saan siya pwedeng ihambing jan sa Pinas... Kung anu-ano kasi ang tinda dito eh - parang.... Anything! Oops, nandito rin ang ilang malalking warehouses like for electronic needs (TV, PC, appliances) - there's Harvey Norman (dito kami bumili ng LCD TV ni Partner) Bond+Bond, and Noel Leeming. Furnitures??? Meron din dito sa Tory - Big Save! Meron ding grocery dito - Moore Wilson.

Haaay, kakapagod mag-window shopping noh??? Dapat me commission ako sa mga stores na binanggit ko dito eh.. Hehehe.

Thanks for reading!

PR Visa Granted!!!

This is the start of a new chapter in my life....just this morning, I received a text from Mon I na may dumating daw na letter for me from NZIS. Magkahalong excitement at kaba ang na-feel ko. Sabi ko nga ke Mon I and Jesselyn, it's either denied or granted... Then, they wanted to open the letter, sabi ko later na lang. I want to open it myself. Pero di talaga ako mapakali, not to mention the pang-aasar of Jess and Mon I. So we agreed na i-fax na lang nila sa akin yung letter kasi nasa office pa ako kanina. Two pages lang naman daw. So ok, they send it. Di bale nang sila ang unang makabasa. Malalaman din naman nila yun eh.

Ayun nga, nung mabasa ko yung title ng letter ng VO ko, gusto kong tumalon sa harap ng fax machine dahil sa sobrang tuwa. APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE! My VO wants me to send my passport, plus pay a migrant levy of $300 para sa PR Visa. Wow! Ang saya noh?

Anyway, as I said, this is the start of a new chapter in my life - my life as a PR visa holder in NZ. Dami kong gagawin after this. Maraming aasikasuhin - settling in, my daughter's papers, our future. Pero alam ko naman, with God's grace and the help of the good people around me, kakayanin ko toh...

Special thanks to my Karori buddies - Mon I&Pinky Illana, Jun&Tina Yamog, Didith&Clark Figuracion, Alvin, MyrnaU&family, Jesselyn, Glen&Tina Torres, Ludger&Belle Zabala, Eugene(paparangi), Dolly (newlands).....and many more!! Thanks po for the warm welcome. Dami ko pang mga bagong nami-meet, thanks po sa lahat ng smiles and "howd'ya" do niyo. Thanks din to Achie, KU and the rest of the Auckland pinoys.

Sa Philippines, marami din akong papasalamatan pero baka di ko na mabanggit sa dami - syempre I'll start with Jon, my Baby, my family (for the support), my PLDT friends and badminton buddies, of course, Pinoyz2nz (dami niyo naitulong sa akin, thanks!), etc.

O ayan, pang-Famas ang speech ko ha....Hehehe. Sa mga nakalimutan ko dito, pasensya na po talaga.... Me pagka-malilimutin lang talaga ako. Hehehe.

JESS is in the Building!!!

Sa wakas, dumating na rin dito sa Wellington ang pinakamamahal nating PINOYZ2NZ moderator - Si Miss Jess. Kasama niya rin ang pamilya ni Beth&Noel. Siyempre, the day that they arrived, suguran agad ang mga ka-kosa niya sa house nila Mon I (where Jess will be staying)

Me impromptu potluck dinner kami to welcome their arrival. Maraming dumating, kahit di taga-Karori.

Kakatuwa to know na lumalaki na ang population ng Pinoyz dito sa NZ, especially, pinoyz2nz members.

To Jess and sa iba pang Pinoy na kakarating pa lang sa NZ, WELCOME! (O, ha, nagw-welcome na ako eh halos kakarating ko lang din... Hehehe.)

HALE in the City

Meron akong isang magandang experience this morning... around 10 AM, while I'm at L10 of Telecom House - working - I saw dark clouds rapidly moving towards our location.... from a nearby mountain. Kitang-kita kasi ang langit at Wellington harbour sa building namin na located along Jervois Quay.

Medyo nakakanerbyos kasi maaraw at one point then nung dumating nga yung mga dark clouds (me bonus pang malakas na hangin ha), syempre, medyo dumilim sa paligid. Maya-maya, pumatak ang ulan. Nagtataka ako kung bakit sobrang ingay ng ulan, di naman sobrang shower. At nung sumilip nga kami ng isa kong opismeyt, ayun, nagtatalsikan ang mga maliliit na yelo sa mga bintana, etc. Natuwa na ako... kasi I realized na first time kong naka-witness ng HALE - first hand! Mababaw sa iba, pero sa akin, malaking bagay kasi ngayon lang nga ako nakakita nito. Hehehe. Balak ko sanang manghuli ng yelo para ilagay sa scrapbook ko, kaya lang baka matunaw eh. Jok. Jok.

'Pag nandito talaga kayo sa Wellington, marami pa kayong iba't ibang klase ng weather na mararanasan na wala sa Pinas. And you know what's odd about it? You can have 3-4 weather changes in a day!

Happy reading!

English Bloopers: Oh I see!

PART I
Kanina, bumili ako ng ilang bedroom thingies sa The Warehouse - duvet, flat sheet, pillows, etc. Nung magbabayad na ako, I asked the lady behind the counter, "How much is it?" Sabi niya, $106.60. Ang dinig ko, 166 dollars so nagbayad ako ng siyam (9) na 20-dollar bill. Kunut-noo yung babae. Then binalik niya sa akin yung tatlong 20-dollar bill...so ako naman ang nagtaka. Inulit niya pa sa akin, "One hundred six, sixty". Napangiti ako sabay sabing, "Oh, I see! I thought you said One hundred sixty six!"

PART II
SAUCE: Minsang kumain ako sa McDo, umorder ako ng Chicken Mc Nuggets meal. Tinanong ako kung ano ang drinks na gusto ko. "I said coke." Then tinanong niya ako ng "What sauce?" na ang dinig ko, what size. Sabi ko, medium. Kunot-noo yung cashier. Inulit niya... "what sauce...for the nuggets?" Napatawa ako... Sabi ko, BBQ. Grabe bloopers ko dito. Napaghahalata! hehehehe.

Php 100 in my Pocket

$2.80, tumutunog sa bulsa ko kanina. Then I realised that I actually have Php 100 in my pocket... Dito sa NZ, barya lang sya... Hay Naku, nag-convert na naman si Rhose! Hehehe. Pasensya na, wala lang akong magawa e.

Windy Welly

I've heard from some of my friends here in Welly na around 70's daw, sa sobrang lakas ng hangin sa Wellington, the streets (particularly Jervois Quay) actually have ropes! Dito raw kumakapit ang tao para di liparin ng hangin. At first I thought this was just an exaggeration, but now, I'm starting to believe it na. FYI lang po.

Absent Si Mommy!

I received a text message from the Philippines last week. My 3 1/2 year-old daughter will take the entrance exam in one of the Catholic Schools in my hometown. Katatapos ko lang mag-lunch non and I'm so excited to hear about it with these words echoing constantly in my head: "My baby's grown! She's going to school!". In between the excitement, naramdaman ko na nag-iinit ang gilid ng mata ko. Nangingilid na pala ang luha ko! Then I realised... Isa pala itong milestone in her life... And I, the mother, weren't even there to give her support. Sobs!

She was with her grandpa and a friend. I asked them if my baby's afraid to go to school. Sabi nila, excited daw na pumasok. Nasa bahay pa lang daw, lagi nang sinasabi sa kanila na huwag na siyang samahan sa loob ng school at baka magalit ang teacher. Sa gate na lang daw sila maghintay. Then another tear from my eye... "My baby's all grown up!"

I kept asking them hanggang matapos ang exam ni Baby. Nagkwento siya, madali naman daw ang exam... Written and Oral. Medyo kinakabahan pa nga ako... Ano naman ang pwedeng tanungin sa isang 3 1/2 yo na bata, na wala pang experience going to school? Anyway, the result is after a week daw so hintay kami.

After a week, I received another text. Good news, they said... My daughter passed the entrance exam! Magkahalong happiness at excitement ang na-feel ko. Proud na proud ako. Haaay, ganun pala ang feeling ng isang nanay kapag may achievement ang anak niya. I just hope na nandun ako to celebrate with her...

One day, I'm still praying, magkakasama din kami dito sa NZ. One day.

Drawing ng Baby ko, 3yrs old

"OWLCATRAZ" Experience

OWLCATRAZ, Shannon, New Zealand – Ito ang isa sa una kong napasyalan dito sa NZ. Dinalaw namin ito last 23 January (Wellington Day). Isa itong native bird and wildlife park. Sanctuary ito ng ilang native owls ng New Zealand at iba pang mga hayop na ngayon ko lang nakita sa buong buhay ko - like a furry pig (kune pig), a giant brown cow and a giant white cow (I think!). Meron ding Lama, Deers (surprisingly, maamo ang mga deer dito! Kumakain sila sa palad mo.), Weka (muka siyang kiwi bird na kasing laki ng manok…and for a two-legged bird, mabilis siyang tumakbo ha!).

Meron din kaming pinasok na isang cave. Wairuru cave ang tawag nila. Pagpasok mo dito, wala kang makikita kundi darkness...and thousands and thousands of glowworms! Alam niyo kung ano yun? Ako hindi! Yung glow lang kasi nila ang nakita ko…Tiny circle glow, parang alitaptap yung liwanag na nanggagaling sa kanila. Nakakapit lang silang sa mga stalactites ng cave. Di ka pwedeng mag-ingay dahil baka mabulabog sila.

Isa pang napansin ko dito is yung mga pangalan ng mga owls. Eto ang mga pangalan nila, as far as I can recall it:

OWL CAPONE
OWL FALFA
OWLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
OWLVIS PRESLEY
OWLE MACPHERSON
OWLMO

Gumastos ako ng $16 dollars as entrance fee pero worth naman kasi maganda talaga ang lugar.

Flying Foxxxxxxx!

How come walang ganito sa Pinas? Riding the Flying Fox is so fun! Di lang pambata, pati adult, mage-enjoy talaga! Palibhasa, first time kong nakasakay sa ganito kaya enjoy na enjoy talaga ako. One more good thing about it… It’s free! Grabe! Sa Pinas, bibilhin mo pa ang ganitong klase and/or level of enjoyment.

Ano nga ba ito? Kung id-describe ko (mahina ako sa description eh!), para siyang isang mahabang sampayan. Yung isang dulo, mas mataas ng ilang metro kesa sa kabilang dulo. Ang sasakyan? Pano ko ba id-describe? Parang inverted T-shaped metal. Yung horizontal section ang uupuan mo. Yung vertical section ang hawakan mo at protection na rin ng dibdib at tyan mo.

Parang pang-extra challenge ang ride na to! Pagdating mo sa lower side, babangga ang upper portion ng sasakyan mo so ang tendency, pumahagis ka (pero di ka naman made-detach dun sa rope na pinagkakabitan ng sasakyan mo, basta wag ka lang bibitawan sa vertical section na hawakan mo...). Then, dahil sa momentum, babalik ka sa pinanggalingan mo, up to the point na bumagal na ang sinasakyan mo. Physics rules, pag pababa, mas mabilis dahil sa gravity. Pag pataas, siyempre babagal ka na.

Sa mga nasa NZ na at di pa nakakasakay dito, you better try this. Ang saya talaga. Para sa akin, ito ang perfect alternative sa bungee jumping. Sa mga papunta pa lang dito sa NZ, try niyo to pagdating niyo. Ang saya talaga. Hehehe.

My Very First Wellington Bus Ride

Niyaya ako nila Mon I na maglaro ng badminton sa Karori Recreation Centre kaninang 2pm. Nagsuggest siya na mag-bus na lang ako from Lambton Quay to Karori Mall - Bus No. 12 daw ang sakyan ko. Binigyan niya pa ako ng Bus sked para guide ko sa pagsakay. Yung Karori Recreation Centre ay nasa likod lang ng Karori library - just across Karori Mall. Ok lang naman daw kasi may bus stop sa mismong tapat ng Karori Mall/Library - so madali lang daw matunton.

Around 150PM, nasa bus stop na ako. May nakita akong dumaan na Bus No. 12. Taka pa ako at di huminto sa bus stop na kinaroroonan ko. Taka talaga ako so I called up Mon and ask why. Sabi niya, parahin ko raw yung Bus dahil di raw hihinto yun kung di paparahin! Nyek, kaya pala....Kakahiya naman ke Mon I. Buti na lang siya lang ang nakakaalam nito (sabay pinost sa Blog noh?? hehehe). Ayun, so hintay na lang ulit ako ng susunod na byahe and this time, papara na talaga ako. Nyehehe.

After 10 mins, another Bus No. 12 arrived. Dali-dali akong tumayo sa bus stop - as instructed by Mon, tayo daw ako sa tapat ng Pastoral House Lambton Quay - proudly, pinara ko ang Bus. Nakita ko ang driver na itinuturo yung susunod na Bus stop. Ibig sabihin, doon siya hihinto. Takbo tuloy ako don. Buti na lang at may iba pang sasakay so hindi naman ako hinintay.

Pang-apat ako sa sumakay so nagkaroon ako ng chance na mag-observe sa mga sumasakay. Na-amaze ako sa nakita ko....

Yung driver, may sariling cash register! Hehehe. Cool! Anung sinabi ng mga bus driver sa Pinas? Bawat sumasakay, nagbabayad muna sa kanya (either cash or yung tinatawag na 10-trip ticket). Lahat nun e ip-punch niya sa cash register at lalabas ang resibo. Sabi ni Mon I, Bus ticket daw yon, pero tingin ko resibo eh. Hehehe.
Maluwag yung mga bus nila. At yung upuan, magkatalikuran. Ok diba? Sa harap ka lang pwedeng sumakay - common sense na kasi nandun ang bayaran diba? - pero pag bababa, harap at gitnang pinto, pwede.

Naibaba naman ako ng driver sa destination ko - Karori Mall/Library. Natunton ko naman agad ang sinasabi nilang Recreation Centre. Pagbukas ko ng pinto, nakita ko si Myrna U. Tuwang-tuwa ako (kasi alam kong di ako naligaw). Nasabi ko na lang na "Yes". So, on with the badminton game. (Special mention to Hayley, Rita, Faiga and Armi of Pinoyz2nz: iinggitin ko lang kayo, hehehe)

O yan na lang muna ha....Until my next New zealand adventure!

Special Hi to all Pinoyz2nz and Wlgnzpinoys members and moderators!

Peace Bro!

"1200 steps"

Kanina, habang pauwi ako sa apartment, wala akong magawa....Napag-trip-an kong bilangin ang steps from my company to my apartment. Alam niyo kung ilan???

1200

NGES HU? - My All-time Favorite Joke

This is my all-time favorite Joke. I don't know who wrote this or where this came from but one thing's for sure, reading this will laugh your heart out. Happy reading!

"Minsan, umuwi ng maaga si Mister para sorpresahin ang
kaniyang kabiyak. Dahan dahan siyang pumasok sa kanilang bahay at hinanap ang
kaniyang Misis. Nakita niya itong abala sa pagluluto at di namalayan na siya ay
dumating. Maingat siyang lumapit sabay takip sa mga mata ni Misis sabay sabing
"NGES HU???" Sabi naman ni Misis, "Lintek, nges-hu nges-hu ka pa diyan,
ikaw lang naman ang ngongo dito!!!!!"

Eto Naman ang New Zealand Adventure ko

This is the first time that I’ll be away from my family for a long time…the first time that I’ll be traveling overseas alone – on a 16-hour journey, with two stopovers. Now, don’t ask me how I’m feeling during that time, OK?

Day 1, 10 January 2006, Tuesday – 1745 at the airport, Gate 7 of NAIA terminal 2. While waiting for the flight attendants to call the passengers for boarding, I can’t help myself from crying. I took off my hankie at pasimpleng nagpapahid ng luha sa magkabilang sulok ng mata. Lalo pa akong naiyak habang nakaupo na ako sa loob ng eroplano. Wala na talagang atrasan ‘to. Iyak pa rin ako while texting my friend, saying goodbye, telling him to take care, I’ll miss him and to look after my daughter while I’m away. Then I turned my phone off.

1950 HK time when we arrived in HK International Airport. Upon arrival, lakad agad ako papuntang boarding gate naman ng susunod kong flight. I have to be there at 2045. Grabe, ang ganda ng HK airport. Malinis at malaki. Anyway, I thought I was early enough pero dahil ang laki ng airport, inabot din ako ng 2045 sa paghahanap. I was just in time for the passenger boarding. Kung sa MNL-HKG flight, marami akong pinoy na kasabay, sa HKG-AKL, apat na lang yata kaming Pinoy. Di pa nagkausap-usap.

Day 2, 11 January 2006, Wednesday – 1315 NZ time. T’was a delayed flight. Ok lang, 1300 pa ang next and last flight ko. What’s important is nasa NZ na ako. Problem comes when I realized that AKL is my point of entry to NZ so I have to present my docs to their immigration, have all my bags checked, and what’s worse, my connecting flight is not Cathay but Qantas and I don’t know where their checkin counters were. Ok lang, I said to myself. I can always ask around. Before claiming my HEAVY checkin bag, I passed by the NZ immigration booth and have my passports validated. Ok. No problem. Now to the checkin bag carousel. Haaay, 15mins had passed before my bag got out. But that’s not the end of the story. Before I was able to leave the airport, I have to go through the customs officers to check my Passenger arrival card – if I declared something there. Since I have not declared any questionable goods, I proceeded to the X-ray for the final test (to check if I’m lying about the declaration stuff). But I passed. Thank God.

The next problem arises. Where is Qantas Checkin Counter? Ive asked around and I have learned that it is in their Domestic airport which is a bus ride away from the international airport. Huwaaat??? It was already 1420H. Boarding time for my next flight is, I guess, 1430. And I have three bags then – 23, 8 and 4 kgs, plus two jackets and a small bag for my camera. Gosh! How am I gonna carry all those bags? To think that I still have to ride a bus to the domestic airport! This is trauma!

The bus came after 5 mins of waiting. Of course I can’t carry all my bags so some people, a Chinese and a Kiwi, I think , helped me get on the bus with all these bags. Going off the bus? Gosh, I needed help too. But walking from where I got off upto Qantas counter, I did it by myself. Gosh, my bags are too heavy.

Upon seeing my ticket, the attendant immediately issued a boarding pass and checked-in my heavy luggage. She said I have to hurry because it’s boarding time. I’m glad I still made it to my flight.

Tired of reading? Marami pa…

1405, I arrived at Wellington airport. Nervous and excited, I tried to look around for my boss (who’s the one to pick me up). Good thing that he was able to recognize me. He’s with an officemate at they both took me to the apartment (prepaid accommodation provided by the company). We took a short walk passed through the shops along Lambton Quay and The Terrace. After that, uwi na si Boss and I went back to the apartment and try to contact a friend. I need to contact someone (preferably a Pinoy!) after all these!

Ayun nga, ok naman kasi I got to meet familiar faces na. I had dinner with Mon I and his family. Konting kwentuhan. We tried to connect to the internet para makapag-chat or email ako sa Pinas. Kwentuhan ulit. Picture-picture. Medyo gabi na nun kaya hinatid na nila ako pauwi . Namili lang ako ng kaunting food for breakfast then I went back to my apartment. Watched some tv, then higa na. Iyak muna, syempre. I miss my family na agad kasi e.

Day 3, 12 January 2006, Thursday – 8am akong gumising. Konting ayos pa rin ng ilang gamit. Then around 10am, punta ako sa Westpac bank. Along Lambton Quay, walking distance lang daw. Yeah, long walking distance! E dulu-dulo ng Lamton Quay yun e. Malas, umuulambon pa. Brrrr, ang ginaw! Pagdating ko sa Westpac, they require me to present a proof of residence (or booking reference). Wala ako nun so I have to go back to the apartment and ask reception desk about it. Kung mga 1km ang layu ng apartment sa Westpac. It means, I’ve walked 3kms in 20mins! Way to go, Rhose!

1130 natapos ang transaction. Ok naman. But the thing is, di pa ako nagla-lunch and my boss will pick me up at the apartment around 12noon. First day…I mean first half day ko kasi sa Telecom. Huhuhu. Umabot naman ako sa apartment. Wala pa si boss so I had time na ayusin ang sarili ko – and to realize na 4 and not 3 kms ang nilakad ko.

1215, tumawag si boss. Meet ko na lang daw siya sa Westpac dahil malapit daw yun sa office. Nooooo! 5kms in roughly two hours. Not to mention the weather and my angry stomach. Gosh, I think this is my day. Pumayat na nga yata ako eh.

Anyway, my first day at work is not bad. I get to meet my team mates. They are all accommodating – welcomed me well. My boss is nice. Check this out…I was given my own cellphone, my Telecom email account, etc. Gosh, this really is my day. Hehehe.

Ikukwento ko pa ba? Wag na kaya? O siya sige na nga, mapilit kayo eh.

I got home around 5:30pm. ‘Just dropped my things and went to my next adventure – shopping. I have no food back in the apartment so I have to get some. New World Supermarket is highly suggested by my friends so I went there – with all my money, my cellphone, an extra jacket and a map on my hand.

New World Thorndon is big. It’s not that hard to find, too. I just picked some stuff that I need and went to the counter to pay for it. You know that “SOME” I was talking about? 22 Items weighing about 10kilos or more! Huhuhu. After paying for it, I realized that this is too heavy for me to carry – considering that it is roughly 1km away from my home. Tatawag sana ako ng taxi kaya lang umiral ang kakuriputan ko – baka kasi sa taxi lang mapunta ang naisave ko – so I decided to walk back home. Grabeh, ang bigat ha. Buti na lang walang Pinoy sa paligid. At kaunti na lang ang tao – maga-alas otso na nun. Kundi it’s either maawa sila or matawa sa hitsura ko. Para akong tibong kargador. Iniisip ko na lang ang linya ko just in case may magtanong sa akin kung bakit naglalakad ako with all those heavy stuff. I’ll just say…”I’ll just deliver this to the customer.” Hehehe.

Good news naman paguwi ko kasi, I received a call from the Philippines. It was my friend! I was so happy to be able to talk to him again. Kahit on the phone lang. Miss na miss ko na siya. Of course, my baby, too.

Wala munang pasyal-pasyal. Baka ‘di rin ako makapag-enjoy. Ala ang mga mahal ko e. Ay sus, ala daw oh! Sa Saturday ngapala, mukhang me pasyal with some Filipino friends. Syempre sasama ako. Wala akong gagawin dito sa haus e.

O siya inaantok na ako.

ATTENTION: Work Visa Holders

Palabas ka na ng bansa...Dala ang lahat ng bagahe...Nasa airport ka na't nagpapaalam sa mga kamaganak...After nun, ano na ang gagawin mo?

Eto, base lang po sa experience ko....Sana may matulungan naman ako.

Left-most side (malapit sa entrance ng mga sasakyan), nandun ang OFW Pre-checkin office. Upon arrival in the airport, with all your big bags at your hand, you have to go inside and have your OEC (Overseas Employment Certificate) validated. Pwedeng sumama sa loob yung maghahatid – para may tagabuhat ka ng bag. Hehehe. This will take only a few minutes kung walang pila. They will just put a stamp on you OEC and then you’re done.

For OFWs, there is a special entrance located just near the OFW Pre-Checkin Office. Go there and present your ticket, passport and stamped OEC to the guard. Just a few steps away, you have to fall in line for the X-ray of all your bags. This is an SOP everytime you enter the airport premises.

After the Xray, go to your respective Check-in counters. Get you Boarding Pass and have your bags checked-in.

Beside Cathay Pacific checkin counters is the entrance to the Boarding gates. Present your boarding pass to the guard in the entrance and immediately proceed to the OFW special booth at the leftmost side of the terminal fee counters. You just have to present your validated OEC and boarding pass. They will put a stamp on your boarding pass indicating that you’re an OFW and you’re exempted from the Terminal Fee (Php 550).

Next, go to the immigration booth. The line here is usually long. You have to present your embarkation card, passport/visa, boarding pass, and if needed, your validated OEC. The immigration officer will then put another stamp on your boarding pass.

After that, go to your respective boarding gates and you’re ready to go! Have a nice trip!

NOTE: I’ve been thinking about writing this while I’m on my 11-hour HKG-AKL flight. I’m glad I finally find the time to do it. Hope may matulungan naman ako dito.