Being Australians

This is a long overdue post, the wet Sydney weather this weekend has finally given me the chance to post this.

After almost  3 years of Sydney living, we finally made it to the resident's "finish line".  Last month, after completing all the requirements (including passing a Citizenship exam) , we were invited to make the citizenship pledge together with around 95 others who chose to immigrate to Australia from 28 different countries.

It was a short candid ceremony where we were asked to make the oath that read:

From this time forward, under God,
I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people,
whose democratic beliefs I share,
whose rights and liberties I respect, and
whose laws I will uphold and obey.

It was an emotional moment, yes, not enough to make me cry but enough to give me goosebumps he he, as it is one of the biggest decisions we had to make in life.  Being a citizen by choice makes citizenship more meaningful, I guess, than being a citizen by birth or by descent, since one makes a more conscious effort to build a better place to live.  This is what Australia is all about being the country of immigrants and is one of the reasons why we choose to be here.

Some more snaps from the day ...

Photo with Mayor Nick Berman:

Dinner and drinks with friends who have helped us along the way:

To choose to leave what we had in the Philippines, to choose to make it work down under and to choose to live and work here permanently -- these were the choices we had to make almost 3 years ago and indeed it paid off!

Our next chapter in life continues ... 

Melbourne in August

There was something about Melbourne that we really loved. We were there for 6 days just one week after we first set foot in the land down under and it was love at first sight. It could be the simple life, or the accessibility to the city from where our cousin lived, or the street layout - being grid-like very much similar to what we're used to in Manila, or maybe the friendliness of people we bumped into in our strolls or tram-rides, or the fashion, or the markets, or (okay just in case you are reading) Shaun's home-cooked meals.

Almost three years later, we were back to what we called the Little Italy of Australia. We never thought it would take us that long really BUT this time it was bitterly cold. It was almost always wet and always freezing. What kept us warm was the hospitality of our cousins (both of them are now based in Melbourne) and our friends.

I loved Natasha's and Dylan's house - it's an old house with a modern interior, very homely, very tidy, a place one would always want to go home to. It can just be 3 stops from Melbourne Central (read shopping), very convenient indeed! Shaun's was not bad, forget about tidiness, but the new telly kept us entertained. We watched two-half movies on the big screen in his very comfortable lounge (seriously Shaun you don't need a new one) while feasting on baked oysters c/o hubby, baked salmon fillet over a glass of Sauv Blanc c/o the cousin and strawberries and cream c/o moi.

Our couple friends' place was very close to the upscale tourist shopping area, Chapel Street, so we had the chance to stroll along the shops while attempting to look for a good buy - but hubby said they were way too fashionable for his taste.  We did enjoy a very tasty brunch while catching up on our life stories and savoured on our afternoon chocolate indulgence. The dinner in Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant was scrumptious and as if the afternoon chocolate wasn't enough, the sticky date pudding was divine.  Just to clarify, we did a lot of walking in Chapel Street and Toorak Road and inside the Prahran Market and in the War Memorial in between these banquets.

It wasn't all about food for the weekend.  We had to do something new and despite the weather forecast we pursued the Great Ocean Road.  It was a beautiful first half of the day with magnificent views of the Bass Strait until we got to the climax of the trip, the Twelve Apostles where it started to pour ice-cold rain.

Loved every bit of that weekend, scenic, relaxing - got the well-deserved rest we wanted, fruitful - rewarded ourselves with a few good buys from the little mulah we budgeted for the trip and gastronomically-challenged (as a friend would put it). We would not have wanted it any other way.

World Youth Day 2008

The biggest event of the World Youth Day 2008 and the culmination of the 6-day Catholic youth celebration in Sydney was the Papal Mass held on 20th of July 2008.

We braved the 4km Pilgrim Walk, enjoyed the solemnity of the Papal Mass, and challenged ourselves to a longer & more crowded walk back to the Central Station where we boarded the train back to our place.   I hope these photos will do us justice for missing work today. :)

As Bishop Anthony Fischer led the cheer, Hip hip hurray!, in the farewell event for His Holiness, I cant help but smile & join the Aussies cheer. And as we watch snippets from the events, images of the Pope all smiles waving at and reaching out to the pilgrims as he went past most of the city landmarks, it makes me proud to be a resident of the host country and the host city, it was indeed Sydney at its best.

Aroma Festival @ The Rocks

One of the things we've accustomed ourselves into since our move down under was to look forward to weekends and how we spend them.  Every Friday at work, mates ask each other the plans for the weekend ... and the Monday after how one's weekend went.

This time around, after our regular Sunday mass schedule, we drove to the city to experience the annual Aroma Festival @ The Rocks but to make it a little more interesting, we braved the long walk and crossed the Harbour Bridge to get to the venue.  This takes the guilt off all the treats we indulged in at the festival. Haha 

Here are some photos from the day.

Nelson Bay, Port Stephens

Ah ... sun, sea and sand ... it is the time of the year (well, at least down under).

A day trip to Nelson Bay Port Stephens is not an ordinary weekend, specially when spent with friends close to our hearts. We shared good laughs and experienced a couple firsts - sand boarding and whale-watching. The photos sure do speak for themselves.

Floriade 2007

We recently graced the Floriade in Canberra, showcasing millions of blooms as backdrop to Australia's annual spring festival. It was a 3-hour drive from our place but was not too bad for we enjoyed the great view, the mood, as well as the company of friends. Here are just some of my favorite photos from the day.

It's Been Two Years ...

... since we braved the big leap from a life full of comfort and complacency to a life full of uncertainties, discovery, independence and total couple immersion when we decided to migrate & settle in the land down under. It's never been a bedful of roses but it is the kind of life we see ourselves growing old to, it is the quality of life we have ever wanted, it is the life we choose to share together.

Well, we didn't want to show how much we've physically changed, but what the heck, it's fun to show some Then & Now pics so here's the best that i can do.

Happy Two Years in Australia ... to us!

Watching Josh Live

Just came from Josh Groban's supposed last night concert in Sydney (it's been extended for 1 more night tomorrow) and I have two words: SUPERB & YUMMY!

Can't get enough of him, he came back to the stage three times until the audience stopped screaming and stomping feets! He was undoubtedly worthy of the Opera House.

Hunter & Wollongong

Last weekend, we went on our first out-of-town drive up North, to Hunter Valley, where world-class wines & cheese are beyond expectations and picturesque country-side sceneries are a common sight.

This weekend, we opted for a shorter drive down South, to the coastal towns of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama, Gerringong, and much to our surprise they were breathtakingly beautiful! We forgot how hot & humid it was, we got snap-happy under the sun for more than an hour. It was a shame that we just had 1 camera, with everyone taking turns to take fave landscape photos.

Here are some snaps from the two weekends.

Wet & Wild at the City

Below are some snaps from my nurse cousin, who is visiting from England, A's idea of Sydney adventure.



The harbour jet experience was so fun! We went on a 50-minute jet ride with more than 10 270-deg spins from 75km/hr jet speed. I think these photos don't justify the enjoyment we felt, specially since we looked horrible. Lesson learned, to be prepared for this ride of your life, make sure you tie your hair, wear a tight cap, wear your sunnies and put some sunscreen!

I felt like I was in a resort island when we boarded this jet, complete with holiday music, and yet I realized when we were passing by one of the bays, which we frequent during lunch-break-walks from the office, that this was actually in the city! Who can have the luxury of having fun like this while in your home city? Not everyone I bet.

Hot, hot, hot!

I did the weekly laundry while watching DVD (Little Women) last night. It is a classic movie and, truth be told, a very good 4-stars from someone who is not so fond of classic.

Anyway, going back to my laundry, when I was about to "line" dry my second batch, I was surprised to find out most of my first batch are already crisp dry! That was just 40 or so minutes in between and mind you at night. Uh-oh looks like summer in Sydney will be bad!

Based on the forecast, today will be fine and hot, peaking to 37deg ... I wonder how I'm gonna survive my apartment inspections at mid-day. Oh well, with my cap, sunnies, and water in tow I guess ... wish me luck!

Rain, Rain, Rain

Bbbrrrr .... Yup, I guess I jumped on the boat too soon! It's been raining for 2 days now. For a moment this morning I thought I was in Manila for the scene looked like a typical Manila stormy windy day. The forecast says it's going to continue like this for at least the next 5 days ... so I may have to pull our quilt back soon for hubby feels cold quite easily. Oh well, as the saying goes ...

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Spring is here!

The month of September, I believe, officially marks the start of Spring down under and this first weekend of the month proved just that.

It went to 28deg peak yesterday and 26deg today. Our laundry dried up naturally this weekend and we didn't even need jumpers when we went out -- well everyone is excited to bare some skin, most were in singlets and shorts already! I think it's not that warm yet for us to go that path.

So when I changed linens today, I "bravely" put the quilt away and we'll see how this goes. We didn't need it anyway until it was freezing winter time so I guess we're safe with the wool blankets now. The heater timer has also been adjusted accordingly -- no more heaters at night, just early in the morning an hour before I get up so I won't feel too cold. Tonight is the first night so wish me luck!

Migrant & Refugee Sunday

Today was the Migrant and Refugee Sunday in Church and it was just very gratifying to see the Church full-packed with people as well as with activities. Some people, specifically those with special roles, came in their national costumes (bet it was so cold for Barong Tagalog & Baro't Saya). Most had the festive mood before the mass even started. The choir was well-attended and Philippines very well-represented.

There were two co-celebrants with Fr. John and one of them was Fr. Crismark (?), a Filipino priest; the other one a Korean priest.

The kyrie was sung in Indonesian, Korean and Irish.

The first reading was in Korean.

The psalms was in English and was sung by a Filipino.

The second reading was in Indian language.

The Gospel was in English and was read by Fr. Crismark.

During the Homily, Fr. John reiterated that Australia, our country, is a migrant country and he couldn't have emphasized it more. We all have chosen to emigrate and how distinct we all may be, wherever we may have come from, no matter how small or big our eyes are, how white or black our colors are, we are all here to make it work and to respect the diversity of the cultures. He put it really very well and I actually had goose-bumps listening to his message.

The prayers of the faithful was in different languages, amongst which was in Filipino.

And the offertory was presented by, our best guess, the Dutch.

The Lord's Prayer was sung in the original Latin lyrics (for several weeks now so most of us are already familiar with the pronounciation, not enough to memorize it though!).

It was a beautiful celebration and an interesting experience for us. We are proud to be part of the community but it just makes it more difficult for us to decide to leave the council (we are house-hunting again and who knows where this will bring us this time around!).

When Sydney went B & W

It was a beautiful and sunny Tuesday morning today and the first time since May (when I returned from Manila) that I reported to work without a coat. At lunchtime, hubby and I even had a good walk over to a fastfood station and the weather was sweet.

But just when I thought winter is almost over, a thunderstorm hit Sydney around 4pm. It was loud then the city went black, I did notice that from where I was sitting, but poor IT slaves, like yours truly, don't get a good window-seat so I had no idea what was actually happening outside - couldn't be bothered to get up and walk to the window for I was too caught up with work. It was business as usual. Then when I left the office 30 past 5, the wind was the usual nice and cool, which I really like specially when I'm about to get into a train that is heated -- I get motion-sick easily when it's too warm in the train.

Our train ride on the way home stopped midway and didn't move for 30 minutes. We were informed that someone from the train ahead had a heart attack causing the delay for all trains operating on the same track! We patiently waited, I finished my Sudoku puzzle for the day, had a quick chat with my Ninong & cousin while hubby was reading the last few pages of his Robert Jordan pocketbook. Still oblivious of what had happened when the city went black, when we got to our station, we even went grocery-shopping before finally coming home.


After dinner and during the routine personal email checks and internet-news browsing, we found out that when the city went black it went white soon after ... some city streets were covered in near-ankle-deep hail. Visit the Sydney Morning Herald's picture slideshow to get a glimpse of how it looked like. (R photo courtesy of SMH) These photos are as much as we've seen.

Can't believe we missed it but can't really say we're sorry though ... thank God these all happened while we were still at work for I don't believe we were appropriately dressed for a sudden change in weather.

Serious about Census

8th of August 2006 is Australia Census Night and everyone here is serious about it. Each household should record the details of all people (including visitors) who spend the night in the dwelling on Census Night. It is a compulsary activity and penalties of upto $100/day is enforced for failure to do so. This can be completed either by filling in a Census form (distributed a week before) or thru the Internet. For an excited first-timer, I did both! Hehe I submitted the internet form, I'm keeping the hard-copy printed form in our file.

It was pretty interesting filling in the form, a first for me as I don't even recall any Census form of any kind back home. I remember someone just ringing the bell on the gate, though, and quickly ask the number of people living in the house. Due to lack of collector's proper identification, we would even hesitate to entertain the questions as we couldn't be sure who else could have access to their files.

Here, by law, the Census information are to be kept confidential with the option to make it available for the National Archives of Australia after 99 years! I did agree to make ours available after 99 years, no big deal ... something for our kids/grand-kids to interest themselves on I guess. They will learn about my religion, education, qualifications, income and job. Hubby, on the other hand, is an absentee the first time so all they got is his name and age :)

I wonder how fast the Australian Bureau of Statistics can process all the records and how soon they can reveal the latest Australian population. Just some census facts before the official 2006 release:

Population
20,589,208 (July 2006 - ABS)
--- less than one-fourth of Philippines population (87,857,473+)

Population growth rate
1.2% (December 2005 - ABS)

In July 2006, the population growth rate is based on estimates of:
- one birth every 2 minutes and 0 seconds,
- one death every 3 minutes and 55 seconds,
- a net gain of one international migrant every 4 minutes and 47 seconds leading to
- an overall total population increase of one person every 2 minutes and 12 seconds.

OZ Language 101

Australians love to shorten everything and they create their own vocabulary and phrases too. Here are some we've learned over time:

Barbie - short for barbecue party. Traditionally, the guys barbecue sausages, chicken, lamb, beef while they talk about cricket or tennis or the latest sports news over beer. The ladies prepare the rest of the meal - salads/coleslaw, side dishes, dessert, set the table and clean up afterwards.

Esky - the OZ version of "cooler", an insulated ice chest to hold tinnies.

Tinny - usually refers to a can of beer.

Lollies - candies, chocolates, sweets

Mackies - Mc Donalds

Serviette - table napkins

Pav - short for pavlova. The merengue dessert, topped with cream, passionfruit, berries and other fresh fruit in season.

Hello, how are you? - usual greeting for everyone - family/friends/office colleagues/acquaintances/cashier/train mates and sometimes even strangers. It is just polite to answer that and greet them back.

Your shout! - Buy me a drink! Don't ever accept a shout unless you intend to make your shout soon after.

No worries. - the OZ version of "You're Welcome" when someone says "Thank You".

Late Night Shopping

It's just funny why the husband had to warn me last night ...

He said, "Honey tomorrow is late night shopping (till 9pm, normally they close at 5pm) and I want to go malling".

I said, "OK" with a look waiting for reason why he was telling me that?

He then said, "Maybe you can consider not malling in the afternoon so you won't complain that you've got tired feet already at 7pm!" ... which was exactly what happened the week before ... hehehe.

Hmm, let's see if I can fill in 7 more hours w/ household stuff.