Migrant Mum

Our Cum Quats are flowering!

2012-02-04T09:00:00.000+11:00

Some of you may wonder what I am talking about. Cum quat is similar to the Philippines’ calamansi or calamondin. We use it as a dipping sauce with soy sauce, as marinade, our replacement for the citrusy and lemony flavour that Westerners use, or as part of a refreshment. It is also perfect for any noodle (pansit) dish whether fried or with soup.

For the past five years, we have been replacing calamansi with lemon but the taste is still different. And we are still longing for that distinct taste. We are always happy if we see noodles served with cum quat at friend’s and relative’s parties. We have been wanting to have our own supply of cum quat so we purchased a plant in 2008. However, since then, it did not flower much and only a couple became fruits. It is only planted though in a big pot since we are only renting and only watered once a week because of the water restrictions and as advised by one relative.

Early 2011, we were inspired by the flowers of a friend’s newly planted cum quat. We thought that probably our cum quat plant has a problem or maybe it has acquired a disease so we purchased another one. Since mid-2011, Tatay has been looking after it really well. He even tried collecting his and Kimi’s first urine in the morning. I know it sounds gross but apparently it is a good fertiliser for citrus trees. Don’t worry, he dilutes it with water before pouring it to the cum quat.

our flowering cum quat

Tatay also fed the plant a bit of citrus-appropriate fertilizer. He regularly watered it except when we were away for Christmas holidays. We are all happy and excited whenever we see and smell its sweet-smelling flowers - they actually smell like Jasmine or Sampaguita (the national flower of the Philippines). I am especially ecstatic because I am already looking forward to enjoying my siomai with toyomansi (calamansi plus soy sauce) or refreshing myself with calamansi juice. Now, I am crossing my fingers for a bountiful cum quat harvest.

Finding Care

2012-02-03T01:26:00.000+11:00

One of the big hurdles faced by working parents is to find a suitable care arrangement that would work for their family. This is the same challenge we face. This is extremely difficult for migrants like me who do not have any immediate family nearby and who got used to having live-in nannies when growing up. In case you are not aware, even middle-income families can afford live-in nannies in the Philippines. In Australia, only the filthy rich can afford nannies.

Dress-up Day

There are different forms of care to choose from in Australia: (1) one of the parents, usually the mother, looks after the baby, (2) grandparents and friends, (3) babysitters and nannies, (4) family day care, (5) occasional care and (6) long day childcare centres. The government assists family with the cost of care. There is the childcare benefit, which reduces out of pocket costs depending on the household’s income, and the childcare rebate, which gives back 50% of out-of-pocket costs. I will not detail this information as it is best to get accurate information from the family assistance office website.

The family day care set-up is run and administered by the local council. Your kid will be looked after by a qualified early childhood educator, who at least finished a Certificate degree in Children Services, at his or her own premises together with 3 other non-school aged kids from 6 months to 5 years old. The fee is ranging from $6 to $9 per hour with a usual minimum booking of 6 hours per day. Parents provide the food, an assurance that your kids eat food they love, and everything the kids need personally like diapers, wipes, and nappy bags. But, all other materials related to their activities such as art and craft materials, musical instruments, and toys are all covered by the educator. Because of the smaller group size, the educator is quite flexible to adapt the schedule and routine of your kid at home or depending on the kid’s needs on the day.

Occasional care is a form of care for those who needs care from time to time when you have appointments or just want a day for yourself.

In long day childcare, qualified early childhood educators look after the babies and the kids from as young as 6 weeks old to 5 years old before they start the big school. The baby’s room usually have 6 kids at a time with 2-3 educators looking after them. The toddlers room usually have 15 kids at a time with 4 educators. The 3 and 4 year old room usually have 15 kids at a time with 2-3 educators. Most childcare centres operate from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, which is suitable for working parents who travel 45 minutes to an hour for work. Most childcare centres provide the food, that are gluten and nut free, nappies, and sunscreen. Most often bringing of food is not allowed to avoid food allergic reaction from occurring. Your kid will be exposed to different variety of cuisines. I am often surprised that Kimi eats and knows food that is not a regular food for traditional Filipino families such as ravioli and gnocchi. Healthy eating habits is also promoted among the kids. This could be a disadvantage, though, if you have a picky eater that would not really eat anything but bread and jam. In terms of schedule, your kid will learn the centre’s routine for grouping activities, playing, eating and resting.

Pretend play: I can build your house!

In our situation and after he was looked after by his grandparents interstate (an emotionally difficult situation that I would not like to happen again), we opted for a mix of family day care, childcare centre and stay at home at different stages to ensure that Kimi gets the right mix of social interaction and the much needed rest if he had a late night of playing with us to compensate for our absence during the day. When Kimi was 19 months, we started him off with 1 day at family day care and 4 days at home per work week. We increased this to 3 days a week in family day care and 2 days at home when he was 22 months. We changed his care to 3 days in family day care and 2 days in childcare when he was 24 months.

Childcare fees were getting expensive so when my request to work from home one Friday at fortnight was approved, we dropped his childcare days to 1 day per week, resulting in only 4 days of care per week when he was 30 months. Che and I took turns looking after Kimi during Fridays while friends assist during unavoidable circumstances. This set-up has substantially helped us financially.

There are pros and cons of putting your kid in childcare or day care. For sure, your kid will pick up the virus of other kids especially during the winter season so you will need to brace yourself for more days of caring for a sick kid - the usual cough and cold. But, the positive side of this is your kid will build the immune system earlier in life than kids who will only be exposed to other kids when they get to school. You will be surprised that your kid will learn words and phrases that you don’t use at home. These, however, are not only the nice but the naughty too words too. They are unavoidable. So, you will have to work harder at emphasising the proper behaviour at home. Your kid will learn to share and negotiate as he will regularly do this with other kids so don’t be surprised that he will start negotiating with you as well. And the most important of all, your kid will develop emotional and social skills without much effort on your part.

If you decide to put your kid in childcare, ask friends and colleagues for recommendations, make a surprise visit so you can see them in action with no preparations, observe the kids if they are content and happy, check the toilets as this is a good indicator of overall cleanliness, look at the play area and see if there are any hazards, review the centre’s philosophy and curriculum, and keep an eye on what the educators are doing and how they respond and treat the kids. Trust your instincts. You will feel it during the first visit if the place is for your child and if it is worth doing a trial session.

Yes, it costs a leg and an arm. But, I will still put my son in childcare even if we can have a live-in nanny similar to what I had growing up in the Philippines or even if I can opt to stay at home full time – not for four days though.

How about you? Will you put your kid in childcare as well after my sharing? Do you have any tips on choosing the right day care?

Photo Project

2012-01-31T10:00:00.001+11:00

Like any parent, we capture as many photos of Kimi and our family. But, we haven’t done anything much on them yet. We can’t catch up with even uploading photos on Facebook for our family and friends interstate and overseas. They are sitting in our hard drives waiting to be viewed and used.

In 2010, though, Che was able to put together this photo frame-cum-divider, which we chanced upon at Reject Shop. We picked out the best photos in portrait lay out and Che made sure that the photo size would fit each frame. He printed them at home using our Canon Pixma printer and I cut them into the required size. We placed it near the entrance door as we don’t really have that much space in our 2BR unit. We were quite happy with our work because every new visitor we have at home notices it and never fails to give heart-warming comments.

We still have a lot of photos that need attention. Hopefully, this year I will have time to put them into photo books and slide shows to remind us of the laughter we shared, blessings we received, and happy times we had – very helpful when life is not as sweet.

Do you have any photo project suggestions?

What have we been doing?

2012-01-29T02:43:00.000+11:00

We have been busy the past year. I really intended to create posts of what we were doing for memory purposes but often times I was already too tired to organise our photos, let alone write posts about them. I know I had not been very good with time management on this front as I'd rather sleep a little longer or play with the little man. But this year is different, because Kimi is in childcare centre almost full time now for Kindy, which is only 2 houses away. I will save a bit of time for myself after work or before bed. Yehey!

Here are some of the highlights of our 2011:

Beat the heat!

We watched the Australian Open and Che had the opportunity to have his Aus Open hat signed by Novak Djokovic after winning against Almagro. Lucky that he also won the grand slam and became World # 1! More photos here.

Sleeping kiddo

Dancing the night away

In June, we attended the wedding of my husband's cousin in Sydney. Kimi slept during the ceremonies but had lots of energy for dancing during the party. It was a fun-filled wedding. More photos here.

Kimi and I also experienced our first snow. Oh, Kimi loved it so much that he wanted to learn to ski next time. We were joined by friends, whose family is helping them with taking care of the new mom and the newborn baby. More photos here.

With the Lord Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong

In August, I took my oath as a new citizen of Australia. We celebrated it not just once but 3 times! We had dinner at home with friends, watched a Geelong Cats game at the President's luncheon (what better way to see an AFL game live for the first time?), and indulged ourselves to the 6 course tasting menu of Baveras at the Cunningham Pier (excellent food and service). I still have to try the infamous vegemite, though, to fully embrace Australian life. May be I will do that before I apply for an Australian passport. More photos here.

We drove to Sydney for the first time by ourselves. Yes, just the three of us this time. We visited family and 2 new babies. On the way back, we visited Kimi's god mother and her newborn twin sons in Canberra. We also met with friends from Geelong to see the Floriade, the Parliament House, the Australian War Memorial, and Cockington Green Gardens. Although we only had limited time, we still had so much fun. Note: This trip only proved to us that Kimi is an excellent travel companion. He didn't have any new electronic gadgets to entertain him apart from a good old digital camera from 6 years ago. He slept, sang, read, asked questions about the things he saw, shared stories, and laughed during the 12 hour travel. More photos here.

In December, we went on a "driving holiday" for 6 days on the way to Sydney for Christmas. But, I will reserve it for another post. The details are still fresh my memory.

I also started studying a diploma course in Management offered at work. Although I can opt for a recognition of prior learning to finish it sooner, I decided not to do it because my intention is to learn more about the organization and immerse myself with the local education system (this is distance learning with only a few workshops though). I still have 1 more essay assignment to do for the current module and 5 more subjects before I can finish the course. That is still a lot of juggling in the next 1.5 years. Time flies fast though so I'm sure I will finish it without even realising it.

Cheers to 2012! I look forward to an even more exciting one.

Eye Along the Shore

2010-10-18T09:34:00.010+11:00

This is the Giant Ferris Wheel along the waterfront of Geelong, the biggest one on the Southern hemisphere. It was set up in time for the 2010 UCI Cycling Road World Championships. During the visit of our friends, Mark and Rose, in Oct 2010 we had the chance to ride this big wheel after a walk along the beach. I was not planning to since I am not so comfortable with heights. Who is? But, I can't say no. They already bought us tickets without our knowing. It was Kimi who was all giddy happy with the idea. He was always attracted by its beautiful changing lights of blue, green, pink, red, orange and yellow that every time we drive past it he puts on his sweetest smile and points to it.

Kimi went straight to the maze-like path to the entrance, almost dragging my hand. There was no long queu that I used to see in roller coaster and ferris wheel rides in Manila. Our group of 5 adults and 1 toddler was attended to straight away and was seated in one carriage. Once we were seated, Kimi screamed with laughter, however, when the wheel started moving, he kept quiet and held on to me like I was a steel he could depend on. My knees wobbled and butterflies moved in my tummy. Everyone was screaming when we got to the top. I wanted to close my eyes, but, no, the sight of Geelong was too good to miss. I managed to look down and sideways and it was just marvelous.

Another wonderful experience for my little man.

Update: The ferris wheel was removed on 26 April 2011 after the Easter long weekend.

Skilled Occupation Changes

2010-07-12T09:28:00.003+10:00

Immigration recently changed the Skilled Occupation List to focus on engineering, accounting and medical-related skills. It means my brother has to re-do his skills assessment, which is already pending with Vetassess. It's still good that there is another skill he can nominate. It is a more tedious process. But, if he can nail it, he can join us downunder in a year or two. That's gonna be exciting!

Were your or your family member's migration plan got affected too by the changes?

Where's the egg?

2010-06-19T01:37:00.006+10:00

Kimi was joined by his Ate Maxie, who was visiting us with her mom for the Easter weekend, and his Kuya Clyde for the Easter Egg Hunt at the park across the road. Our good friends helped us hide the chocolates and made it a lot more fun for the kids. My big thanks goes to them for celebrating with us and to Teacher Nicole for helping Kimi make the egg basket craft. You all made Kimi's first Easter egg hunt truly memorable.

What's up for next Easter?

More photos here.

5 Word Phrase!

2010-03-28T19:56:00.007+11:00

I love you Nanay Tatay! Yes, Kimi said that. He is starting to build phrases and sentences on his own whether Filipino, English or combined Filipino and English. I realised the big improvement after seeing again his videos taken in November 2009 when we were setting up the Christmas tree and train. He was just mumbling then when trying to communicate. He had a few clear words but most of the time he could not find the right words to say or how to say it properly. Right now, there are still some unclear words which will improve as we talk to him more. Note, not baby talk. Real talk about what he observes, what he did, what he feels, and what he wants to do.

There are times that I really get surprised with his statements that keep me speechless. The incident a couple of weeks is a classic example. We were already late for his day care. I was rushing and asking him to cooperate so I can put on his shoes. He obliged. After asking him to stand up and head to the car, he exclaimed out of the blue, "Good job Nanay!" I laughed so hard. I'm supposed to be saying that. Oh well, I can't complain.

The busy baby turned 2!

2010-03-07T23:23:00.009+11:00

We have not been home since I migrated to Australia and our family in the Philippines has only seen Kimi through photos and videos so we decided to visit and have an advance 2nd birthday celebration for Kimi. I was not intending to have a big 2nd birthday party. But since it will not be a usual case for him to celebrate it in the Philippines, I asked my siblings to arrange one for him. I was initially undecided on the party theme. I was looking at several venues - swimming pools, play centres, eat all you can restaurants and fastfood chains. A friend suggested Jollibee. The mere suggestion sparked good memories at Jollibee and I wanted Kimi to experience it as well.

I looked for Jollibee's youtube videos and showed them to him. Kimi liked him instantly especially his dance! Actually, I wasn't surprised. On the day, Kimi couldn't take his eyes off Jollibee. He showered him with lots of hugs and kisses as if he had known him for ages. His joy was priceless. Worth every penny paid. The host was great, the crew were pleasant, and Jollibee was really fantastic with his dance, making the kids and the kids at heart enjoy and strutt. Talagang at home sa Jollibee.

more photos here

To our family and close friends, thank you for celebrating with us. It was great catching up even for a limited time.

To God, thank you for giving Kimi to us and for always guiding and blessing our little family. You are our lucky charm in our journey downunder.

To Kimi, we still have a lot of fun things to do. Tatay and I are just grateful that we can now hug you everyday and marvel at the rate you're growing. Always be happy 'beesy' baby!

PS: Thanks to our friends - Jay Perth Llave, Diana Dig, and Jordee Queddeng for the photos. Sa uulitin!

Plums Anyone?

2010-01-16T23:28:00.011+11:00

Before we head to Sydney for the Christmas holiday, we attended a Filipino Christmas get together in Grovedale. We learned from Auntie Mary that Uncle Lawrence is inviting us to harvest some plums. These are real plums -- not the ones from Farm Town or Farmville. We did not think twice. Straightaway, we drove to their farm in Barrabool Hills with a few friends.

Che enjoyed climbing the tree, picking the plums and eating the best ones of his harvest.

Kimi ran after the free-range chickens for the first time. He was over the moon with excitement and his laughter was contagious.

This is way better than FarmVille!

NB: Thanks to Maricon and Efren for the photos.

Early Christmas

2009-12-18T11:31:00.013+11:00

I received a great Christmas gift early December. My permanent residency was already approved! Time flew so fast that I did not notice I’ve already been staying in the regional area for almost 3 years now.

Getting a state-sponsored temporary visa to migrate was not as bad as others might think. The state and the local council are supportive to get you started and established. In Geelong, there are state-funded programs to assist you in adjusting to the Australian labour market from re-writing your curriculum vitae the Australian way, to understanding the work environment, to equipping you with new skills highly in demand in Australia if needed. In addition to that, the program officers of Diversitat and the City of Greater Geelong are really lovely ladies. Special thanks goes to Anita and Manon!

Most people I meet are warm and nice, always ready to give you a smile and ask how your day was. Workmates are great and will go out of their way to help. I have a few workmates who gave us a few furniture and assisted us in picking up bulky items. When I need a lift, my workmates are more than happy to pick me up and drop me off. The local Filipino community in Geelong is also a big plus. They made us feel welcome and assisted us substantially in settling down. They became our family here. And of course, Filipino gatherings bring us back a bit to the Philippines.

Landing the first job is the hardest first hurdle . But once I had the local experience under my belt, everything else fell into place. Yes, there are bigger challenges along the way. But, life wouldn't be as sweet without them.

First Flight

2009-11-20T13:03:00.008+11:00

After 4 months of staying and living in Geelong, Kimi would visit Sydney to take part in celebrating Enzo’s 1st birthday. Enzo is hubby’s first cousin and, in fact, Kimi’s uncle. Yes, blood relations can be confusing at times.

I booked our flight early and chose the early flights as usual to maximise our stay. I was excited for Kimi. I know he would be delighted to see a big version of Jayjay the jet plane. However, I saw too many crying babies that the thought of Kimi having difficulty with air pressure also worried me. I shoved the thought away and packed our bags early than usual as this is the first flight I’ll be travelling with a toddler in tow. I packed Kimi’s stuff in my carry on bag to make sure that I got everything he would need – including banana, apple, nuts, raisins, biscuits, and milk to make him eat and chew and release the pressure on his ears and books to pre-occupy him during the waiting time and the 1.5 hour-flight.

On the day, I woke him a little before 4 am just enough time to dress up before the Avalon airport shuttle picked us up. Good enough he woke up in a good mood. He rarely wakes up in a bad mood anyway so it was not really a problem. He stayed awake during the entire wait for boarding, amusing other passengers beside us especially the elder couple a few seats away.

As expected, he was ecstatic to see the Jetstar plane. He was repetitively saying “Jayjay” and “airplane” until we reached our seat. After all the passengers were seated, Kimi started to wind down. Tatay (dad) was preparing the nuts when Kimi positioned himself comfortably on my lap hugging me to sleep. In no less than 2 minutes, he was already in wonderland and woke up 20 minutes before touch down. Upon waking up, he looked at the window and pointed to the beach below saying "water" and "beach" alternately, non-stop, until he got the attention of the passenger next to us. He also marvelled at some of the clouds and mountains. How wonderful it was to see a curious and excited toddler -- both eyes beaming.

Overall, it was a hassle free flight apart from the difficulty of carrying Kimi and some luggages. Kimi was a cooperative travel companion. I guess he sensed it’s not the best place and time to throw a tantrum.

Christmas Train Express

2009-11-06T14:32:00.008+11:00

We were surprised to see a package sitting outside our door. It was for Kimi from Nonno and Nonna!

When we opened it, Kimi was so happy to see a train. It was a Christmas train express big enough to occupy our entire living room. We quickly bought a nice Christmas tree and colourful decors to complement the Christmas train.

Within a week, Che, Kimi and I were able to buy everything we need. We stayed up late to finish decorating and see the lights and train at work. If you notice, there was no ornament at the bottom. It was part of child-proofing the house. The glittery things can easily be swallowed by a very mobile toddler. We still need more Christmas tree ornaments though. I plan to add a couple of really beautiful ones each year as a Christmas tradition. And note, buy extra ornaments nearer to Christmas as the prices are heavily discounted as what I have observed.

Word Spurt

2009-11-06T14:31:00.004+11:00

I was really worried with Kimi's speech development when he was 18 months old. He can only say 3 clear words then - Nanay, Tatay, and dede (milk). I even had him checked by his GP so we can get a referral to have a hearing test or to see a paediatrician if needed. She assured me that he is okay and didn't seem to have any hearing problem. But since I insisted, she sent a request for a hearing test appointment at the audiology department of the public hospital.

I made some research and found out that babies who are exposed to more than 1 language tend to speak a bit late. But it was still advised that best time to teach a kid another language is through exposure to the language since they are born. We continued with what we do to improve his language acquisition. We spoke to him slowly and emphasised the letter sounds and the words. We read to him his books especially the shape book which is his favourite at that time. We put him in family day care once a week since he was 20 months for social interaction. We still speak to him at home in 2 languages: Filipino (primarily) and English (as translation). His family day carer speaks to him in English together with the other kids in care.

And, at 21 months, his words increased dramatically that I got lost in counting the number of words he could speak both in Filipino and in English.

NB: This was long overdue.

Walktober Challenge

2009-10-26T09:34:00.006+11:00

I was walking to and from work for more than a year until hubby got his licence a month ago. For a month now, I have the luxury of staying a bit more cuddling and playing with Kimi in the morning. I must say it is very difficult getting up when your little one is hugging you dearly for you to stay in bed. That’s the problem with co-sleeping with your bub. But, on a brighter side, that is also the benefit since you get extra bonding moments - a big plus for a full-time working mom like me who only gets to spend a few hours with the little one each day.

This week is different though since I had to get up earlier again to walk to work. Yes, you read it right – walk to work. I signed up for the Walktober Workplace Challenge. The Walktober Workplace Challenge, which run from 26 to 30 October 2009, encourages participants to substitute car or public transport journeys with their feet. The participant may walk all or part of the journey to and from work or meetings during the day. Points are given for each trip made depending on the time spent walking regardless of the length. A 10 to 20 minute-walking trip earns 1 point and any walking trip over 20 minutes earns 2 points. The key is to reduce the number of car trips made to, from and in the workplace.

It was a struggle. It could have been easier if I were still religiously walking to work and I were not suffering from hay fever. However, despite the regular errands and commitments too, which is now easier with the car, I managed to make 8 points for our team and win myself a basic pedometer for use in my plans to regularly walk again. I wish I could do that soon.

Beat the Price

2009-10-23T14:16:00.004+11:00

Smallville Season 7 was advertised at $25 in Big W so we went there on the first day of the sale. Unfortunately, there is no stock left. I asked the sales assistant if it was only a printing mistake since there are heaps of the other seasons still on the shelves but not even a small room to display Season 7. He confirmed that the sales brochure was correct but there was nothing left. He suggested that we go back few days after to check.

I was really disappointed as I was really waiting for it to go on sale. I suddenly remembered that K-Mart might be able to match the price like what they did for a friend's Corelle set. We head over to K-Mart armed with the Big W brochure. I thought even if we didn't get the DVD at the sale price, I would still be happy as I would be able to get a few things I'm eyeing in K-Mart's brochure like the Pyrex set and 3 pillow pack that were on sale.

I got a copy of the Season 7 from the shelves and when I was paying for the other things I'm buying, I politely asked if they can match the price offered at Big W for the Smallville Season 7. I handed the brochure to the cashier and after a couple of minutes of talking to her supervisor, she happily replied that they would match the price. I was one happy shopper as I really did not expect it.

It's true. K-Mart will beat competitor's price.

Office Surprise

2009-10-20T13:58:00.007+11:00

During morning tea, which I usually take at my desk, my manager asked me if I was busy as the other section of our business unit invited us for their group meeting's morning tea. I enthusiastically replied, "Not really. I can continue this report in a while."

There were fish and chicken fingers, meat pie, fried dumplings and other finger foods plus cakes. I was enjoying the fish and chicken fingers and a little chit-chat when our business unit’s manager came back from somewhere and started his spiel. I initially thought he is going to announce something related with the business unit’s recent restructure. My mind turned 360 degrees from enjoying the fish and chicken fingers when I heard the word “driving.” I just felt it was about me so I started laughing especially when he said that in the past few weeks there’s drama (a favourite Aussie word) happening in a little corner of the office over getting a driver’s licence. To make me laugh even more, he even enumerated the different instances I failed the exam. It was hilarious.

To congratulate me and acknowledge my perseverance, he picked up the contents of a small bag and explained each of them before handing to me: card (not just an ordinary congratulations card, but specifically for passing the driving test) for their messages, a little horn to honk, a first aid kit when I ran into something, and a box of chocolate to appease me when I get speeding tickets. How funny and thoughtful was that?

Something like this is what make employees happy and in effect stay. I find it really sweet and thoughtful as the flexible schedule we have at work to attend to the driving exam is more than enough incentive. The effort and gesture of coming up with this despite of my supervisor and manager’s busy schedule both at work and at home really touched me.

Who would not like to work for such a supportive company with lovely managers?

Overdrive

2009-10-15T09:27:00.011+11:00

I listened to Eraserhead's Overdrive song all morning to celebrate my passing the P plate driving test (well, apart from celebrating with pizza overload from La Porchetta last night). Yes, finally, I nailed the exam. It was not the best drive I've had as I was still frantically nervous. But, I did not have a major boo boo. After failed exams, it was a relief - one goal out of the very long list. In fact, I can smell freedom.

My journey to getting the licence was no big joke. There was no easy route or shortcut I could have done. I have no relatives to teach me and driving lessons with an instructor was very costly. Fast-tracking my learning was a juggle of budget and time. Thus, if you are intending to migrate and have no driving experience, it might be worthwhile to learn to drive prior to coming over as knowing the basics will save you time and money.

Getting your driving licence

Each state has different processes, policies and parameters in implementing traffic management and issuing licences and registrations. In the state of Victoria, Vicroads is the authorised institution for these.. I listed below the steps from being a learner to getting Probationary driver’s licence based on my experience and circumstances:

Book the exam for learner’s permit with Vicroads. You may book online, by phone or by visiting their nearest branch. The fees payable may be found here.
Read the “Road to Solo Driving” handbook.
Do the Practice Learner Permit test. The more practice tests you do the better.
Take the Learner Permit Test and make sure you have the identity documents required as discussed in Vicroads website.
Start learning to drive with full licence drivers (relatives or friends), with a driving instructor, or a combination of both. Note that recorded driving experience of at least 120 hours is required in the log book if the learner is under 21 years old.
Book and take the Hazard Perception Test when you have completed the 120 hours of driving if you are under 21 years old or when you are confident enough to drive if you are over 21 years old.
Book and take the actual driving test for your P plate. The Probationary licence is to be held for 3 years before a full licence can be issued. If you are under 21, a red P plate or P1 licence is issued to you to be held for 1 year before you graduate to the green P plate or the P2 licence to be held for 2 years. If you are over 21, you will be issued a green P plate or P2 licence to be held for 3 years. If you are a holder of an overseas licence for at least 3 years, you may be issued a full licence. It is best to ask Vicroads about this.
Drive safely.

Since I failed the driving exam a few times, I repeated step 7 a few times too. It was frustrating and heart-breaking. It felt like our life was put on hold. But, it did not stop me from attempting again. Eventually, persistence paid off.

Lesson: Never quit especially if you can see a hint of success.

Interest Rates on the Rise

2009-10-08T07:34:00.002+11:00

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced a cash rate increase of 25 basis points to 3.25% effective 7th October 2009. This is the first rate increase since the global financial crisis in 2008, when interest rates gradually plummeted from 7.25% in March 2008 to 3.00% in April 2009.

The RBA believes: “…With growth likely to be close to trend over the year ahead, inflation close to target and the risk of serious economic contraction in Australia now having passed, the Board’s view is that it is now prudent to begin gradually lessening the stimulus provided by monetary policy. This will work to increase the sustainability of growth in economic activity and keep inflation consistent with the target over the years ahead.”

The interest rate is still at a manageable level compared to where it was in early 2008 -- still a good time to pay off as much in your loan and mortgage to help decrease the principal. Good times are coming for the savers and the retirees who depend on their interest earnings.

Say "Puno"

2009-10-06T08:56:00.004+11:00

Tatay and Kimi picked me up from work. About 200 metres from my work place, Kimi blurted “puno” (Tagalog for trees) out of the blue while pointing to the trees on the road. Again, I was the surprised mom. Apparently, Tatay was casually telling Kimi about the trees on their way back after giving me a lift in the last couple of mornings.

I guess this is the tipping point of more words to come. He will learn them in time as my sister said. I am just too excited and a bit impatient. I know that boys speak later than girls and kids in bilingual/multilingual households tend to speak later too even if they can understand both languages. This, however, did not stop us from speaking to Kimi in both Tagalog and English as it is the best time for him to learn with no difficulty. We speak to him more in Tagalog though as he will easily learn English when he goes to school.

Saturday breakfast 2

2009-09-29T10:15:00.004+10:00

This is one of our lazy Saturdays again. We preferred to stay home and Che (for a change) prepared our breakfast. French toast and omelette! Yummy! This is Kimi's plate by the way.

Fishy, fishy

2009-09-25T08:49:00.008+10:00

During nappy change, I give Kimi a little book to pre-occupy him and minimise his wiggly movements. I also talk to him, asking questions, telling stories, to pre-occupy him even more. I used to sing nursery rhymes but it no longer works to keep him still. If I don’t pre-occupy him with other things, nappy change can be very difficult and messy especially if there’s poo involved – imagine him reaching his bottom, getting his soiled nappy, and walking on top of the bed as quickly as he could.

The past few days I’ve been using the same book, “My Very First Book of Words” by Eric Carle, which I’ve read it to him a few times with matching actions and associations a few weeks ago. I focused on the sun and the star as I can easily act them out and describe while I change the nappy. After 3-4 of days of looking at the sun and star, he probably got bored and flipped the pages. He suddenly put down the book, joined his hands together and wiggled it while saying “fishy, fishy.” I was surprised, stopped what I was doing with the nappy and looked at the book. Yes, he saw the illustration of the fish and he remembered what I acted out a few weeks back. I called on his Tatay to see it himself. We were both excited.

One realisation: kids are really like a sponge. They may not show or manifest that they’ve picked up what you said or did straightaway. But, it is surely there to be seen later. The more you stimulate them, the better.

A Walk to Work (Remember?)

2009-09-25T08:49:00.005+10:00

Walking is a usual thing downunder especially if you rely on public transport. I have my fair share. I started walking to and from work since I started with my current employer 15 months ago. Remember I shared with you in a previous post that I liked the office location when I first saw the job ad?

The office is only 2 kilometres of residential and industrial roads from home. There is no bus heading that way though so I need to walk for about 25 minutes, one way, except when someone gives me a lift home or when the weather is so bad that I had to take a cab. I must admit there are times that I hate I'm walking especially during the winter season when it's so cold and frosty. But, there are more instances that I love it as it gives me time to think and reflect especially when the sun is up and the breeze is nice. The regular walk was also an efficient way to exercise and loose the baby weight I gained during pregnancy.

However after having 2 broken umbrellas to wind storm and losing 10 kilograms of weight, the routine changed this morning when hubby drove me to work (he got his license the other day and already secured the car insurance). I know I should think about the benefits of walking but I also want to enjoy having a cutie chauffer in the meantime. Who would not like one?

Bye bye Formula!

2009-09-22T09:33:00.005+10:00

In mid-August, a very close friend, Carla, made an entry about her experience in finding the perfect growing up milk for her daughter Simone (my goddaughter) who is barely 3 weeks younger than my son Kimi. It was a very good read especially for new mums who have no idea what milk to give their babies when either their breast milk supply is already dried up or when it’s not enough and they need to top up. Of course, I can't help not to comment and share my experience as below.

Finding the right formula is indeed a nightmare for some moms who can’t fully breastfeed due to insufficient milk (like my case) or another reason. I was decided to give Kimi 100% breastmilk during the first three months that he is staying in Geelong, I did not buy any formula prior his arrival. But he was not sleeping very well during his first three days and he seemed to be very hungry so I decided to top up with formula. Choosing the right formula was tricky.
Doctors and maternal child health nurse down under do not recommend any formula milk as much as possible. When asked they usually say that formula milk is just the same for any brand. So, I limited my choices with the brands that I also saw in Manila – it’s either S26 or NAN. My niece and nephew were on NAN HA before so it was easier to decide. I just opted though for the regular NAN 1. Good enough that Kimi doesn’t have allergies. He gulped his first bottle like there was no tomorrow and his tummy liked it too straightaway. Breastmilk and formula took turns in fattening Kimi for the first month. When supply dried up eventhough how much hot soup and hot compress I had, NAN 1 was still reliable to keep Kimi happy.
We moved him to NAN 2 at 6 months and to Neslac Toddler Gold at 13 months as NAN 3 was only being introduced in the market at that time, a bit difficult to find NAN 3. At 16 months, we introduced him to drinking fresh milk from a sippy cup with Neslac in between. He is alright with the fresh milk but he still loves his formula in a bottle. I plan to reduce his bottlefeed to 2 when he turns 18 months — one when he wakes up and one before he sleeps. Ultimately, I want him to love his fresh milk more than his bottle. No flavoured milk though. Not even my favourite strawberry milk.

Yes, it was my intention to put Kimi on cow's milk as advised by the Maternal and Child Health Nurse but not 100% this soon. He just turned 18 months. However, when we went to buy another batch (I usually buy 4 cans at a time) of Neslac Toddler Gold, there was nothing on the shelves at My Chemist, where I usually buy it. I immediately called the attention of the sales assistant to check if they got something in their stock room. There was none. I requested him to phone their other store. Again, nada. In fact, it's no longer in their computer system. It was hopeless as it was already difficult getting a can a few weeks back. A friend even checked in Melbourne. It's indeed already phased out to fully introduce NAN 3.

The battle of choosing the right milk again started and it caught me off-guard. There were very few choices and the brands I'm familiar with are both in vanilla flavour -- NAN 3 and S-26 -- which is not an option. Hubby and I compromised to put Kimi back to NAN 2. Hubby was not keen to moving to another brand as Kimi's tummy may react differently. I bought 1 can of NAN 2 and 1 small pack (good for 4 servings) of Karicare to try. He instantly liked Karicare but he was passing wind throughout the day so hubby was not happy with it. I gave Kimi NAN 2 but he rejected it straightaway - maybe not sweet enough like Neslac and Karicare. Because of that, we decided on giving him cow's milk. I cleaned and packed the bottles, steriliser, and the glass pan exlusively used in boiling water for safekeeping.

The story did not end there. Almost 2 weeks after, I observed that Kimi was losing weight or I just thought so. Out of the blue, I grabbed his bottle from the top of the cupboard and prepared him 60 ml of NAN 2 to try again. He was ecstatic to see the bottle of milk. But when he had a taste, he gave me back the bottle. I tried to offer it to him again and this time he just blurted out "nah." I was still worried he was not getting enough so I decided to buy a can of Karicare 3. I was almost sure he would like it again until I offered it to him. To my surprise he rejected it.

This time instinct tells me that Kimi is alright with the cow's milk. There are just days that he will look thinner when he has not slept much during the day. To other mothers out there, don't be a worry wart like me. Just compliment your kid's cow's milk with healthy food and your child will also be alright. Kids need only 3 servings of dairy food anyway to meet the calcium requirement.

Saturday breakfast

2009-09-21T11:02:00.007+10:00

I asked Che to walk along Pakington and have breakfast in one of the cafes as well. He was hesitant. He must be feeling a tad lazy that day so we ended up staying at home. My enthusiasm for a nice, quiet weekend was still high so I proudly announced that I would prepare a cafe-style breakfast for the 3 of us. Nothing really special -- just bacon, sunny-side up, bread and strawberries -- apart from a little bit of presentation, which I don't normally do during our regular meals as I am usually strapped for time. It may not look as mouth watering but the little presentation made a difference to our meal, psychologically.

Kimi was giggling while he ate from his own plate. I am not sure though if it’s because of the presentation, the taste of the bacon or because of the new plate as he has his little bowl during regular meals. Che was contented with the photo opportunity and the sunny side up for his bread. I was happy with what I’ve come up even if it is nothing compared to those in cafes and restaurants. It’s enough that I was able to reminisce the home economics class in high school with Mrs. Maralit and Mrs. Valdez. I remembered I used to bring some of my mom’s cutlery and tableware to class for the food presentation. Once we have set-up our veggie garden for a steady supply of herbs, I plan to garnish and "decorate" our food a bit from time to time to release my usually dormant artistic side and make meals something different again.