Hi. I would like to invite you all to visit and bookmark Savvymigrant's new house at www.savvymigrant.com
The new site got better appearance, photos and user friendly tools such as language translation for non-english readers and more accurate currency converters. Thanks to wordpress blogging software.
From now on, all post will be now publish to this site. If you still want to access the old site, do not worry because the new site got a link to the old site. Just look for it on the right side under mylink menu.
There are still on going developments to improve readers experience and audience reach so patience is highly appreciated. I would like to thank you all for your continuous support to savvymigrant blogs. Cheers!!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
My wife's first midwife appointment
Last Friday, my wife had her first midwife appointment at Sunshine Hospital. Her appointment was set at 1.30 p.m and she took half day off to get there on time. Since, it was a public hospital, there were a lot of pregnant ladies who were also waiting to be checked upon and each one has waited for their turns, including my wife. She patiently waited until finally she was attended to at 2 pm.
Her midwife has oriented her first on hospital policies and guidelines on maternity and has given her lots of informations to read about. There were some leaflets regarding vaccine for Hepatitis-B, Vitamin K and D deficiency and its effects to the child. She was also provided with her VMR, it is her pregancy Diary that will bear all informations about her and what has been going on with her all through out. She needs to bring it whenever she will be having her appointment as it is more possible that she will be looked upon not only by one midwife but quite a few. It depends on who will be the mid wife working on the date and time of her appointment. All schedules are properly set for her. She will be seeing an Ob-Gyne on the 27th of November. As mentioned to her, the purpose of this, is for her to be assessed whether she will be falling under either Low or High Risk pregnancy. If she will be assessed as High Risk, then she needs to be attended by the doctor each visit and upon actual delivery but if she will be assessed otherwise, which we hope and pray she'll be, she will be taken care of the midwives. Before she left her midwife's clinic to proceed to pathology for her blood test, she was given a mother to be bag. The bag was full of brochures on baby stuffs and promotions. There were a few samples of different items like nappy, cream and vitamin.
As she was referred by her midwife to the pathologist on the same day, she had her second blood test. The first one was done months ago to check her Vitamin D level. She was a bit deficient that's why she is currently on Vitamin D tablet. The second blood test was to check for her blood count and Hepatitis B. She was taken more blood samples. She said that there were about 4 tubes of blood taken from her. The pathologist said that it was part of the procedure so they could have more accurate testing.
We are really satisfied on how all aspects are looked upon and are all set on a timely basis. We didn't pay for anything and yet we are confident that my wife and our child is being taken care properly. We are also excited as she is booked on the 2nd of December for her second ultrasound. Just in time for us to know the gender of the baby as well. We hope that it will be a girl this time but more importantly that we pray that the baby comes out healthy and normal.
Her midwife has oriented her first on hospital policies and guidelines on maternity and has given her lots of informations to read about. There were some leaflets regarding vaccine for Hepatitis-B, Vitamin K and D deficiency and its effects to the child. She was also provided with her VMR, it is her pregancy Diary that will bear all informations about her and what has been going on with her all through out. She needs to bring it whenever she will be having her appointment as it is more possible that she will be looked upon not only by one midwife but quite a few. It depends on who will be the mid wife working on the date and time of her appointment. All schedules are properly set for her. She will be seeing an Ob-Gyne on the 27th of November. As mentioned to her, the purpose of this, is for her to be assessed whether she will be falling under either Low or High Risk pregnancy. If she will be assessed as High Risk, then she needs to be attended by the doctor each visit and upon actual delivery but if she will be assessed otherwise, which we hope and pray she'll be, she will be taken care of the midwives. Before she left her midwife's clinic to proceed to pathology for her blood test, she was given a mother to be bag. The bag was full of brochures on baby stuffs and promotions. There were a few samples of different items like nappy, cream and vitamin.
As she was referred by her midwife to the pathologist on the same day, she had her second blood test. The first one was done months ago to check her Vitamin D level. She was a bit deficient that's why she is currently on Vitamin D tablet. The second blood test was to check for her blood count and Hepatitis B. She was taken more blood samples. She said that there were about 4 tubes of blood taken from her. The pathologist said that it was part of the procedure so they could have more accurate testing.
We are really satisfied on how all aspects are looked upon and are all set on a timely basis. We didn't pay for anything and yet we are confident that my wife and our child is being taken care properly. We are also excited as she is booked on the 2nd of December for her second ultrasound. Just in time for us to know the gender of the baby as well. We hope that it will be a girl this time but more importantly that we pray that the baby comes out healthy and normal.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Flower show at Ferny Creek
Before, we went down the Range via Ferntree Gully, we saw a signage that there was an ongoing flower show. Since we still have a couple of hours to spend and we didn't want to spoil the opportunity, we decided to get in. We only paid $5 each for me and my wife. My kid, Enzo got no charge at all.
It was an enjoyable experience to see varieties of Melbourne flowers in one place. We may not be very good at naming flowers but we definitely enjoyed the scene. There were groups of growing flowers in a pot which we thought was Australian natives. There were also those that have bloomed already and some were rare types of flowers as it was the first time we've seen them. There were also those that are especially arranged to suit different occasions whether it may be formal event or not. Some flower arrangements were also displayed being top winners of a flower event and contest.
It was an enjoyable experience to see varieties of Melbourne flowers in one place. We may not be very good at naming flowers but we definitely enjoyed the scene. There were groups of growing flowers in a pot which we thought was Australian natives. There were also those that have bloomed already and some were rare types of flowers as it was the first time we've seen them. There were also those that are especially arranged to suit different occasions whether it may be formal event or not. Some flower arrangements were also displayed being top winners of a flower event and contest.
Outside the hall, we still are surrounded with different flowers and plants. It was a nice scene to look and I really enjoyed taking photos as flower is one of the best object in taking a nice shot. It also turned out to be a nice park to stay and relax at. My kid really enjoyed running around the place and we just let him do his thing as we know that it was a safe place to play around.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Pie in the Sky
When we got to the top of the Olinda range in Dandenong, we found the restaurant known for its delicious meat pie. They call it Pie in the Sky. We starved after a treacherous travel and the long quest for this restaurant. It was almost 2pm and really past our lunch time. But then again, it was not too late at all. We had a hot and delicious pie. There were lots of varieties of pies and you can choose from. There's the Chicken Tandoori, Curry Pie, Steak Pie, Bacon and Mushroom and lots more. They really are fresh and juicy. The pie meals could come either with chips or salads, depending on what you want. You can also taste their yummy Pie Floater. This is sort of a pie in a thick soup base of "pea and ham" and topped with a scoop of creamy mashed potato. I ordered the classic steak pie with chips. It was a nice experience not only due to the good food but also because of the countryside ambiance. Only thing we've noticed though, is that it took long before our order was served. It might be due to the volume of the customers they've got on that day. I've noticed that some were also put on queue before they were seated.
But anyhow, if you are a "meat pie lover", then Pie in the Sky, is the place to be.
One Saturday Nature Tripping at Dandenong
Yesterday at 10am, my family and I decided to stroll around the east side of Melbourne particularly at the Dandenong Ranges. My wife heard from her officemate that the place has a good meat pie restaurant at the top of the mountain plus it has plenty of spectacular sites to offer as well. Even though we've never been to the east side of Melbourne and never gone trekking the Dandenong ranges, our Navman satnav gave us confidence to get through the area. It was roughly about 70 kms from where we live but it didn't really matter to us as we are so inclined to go different places and discover new sites and restaurants.
Honestly, it was a pretty scary travel on our way up the mountain. The road we took is a less traveled one. The road is unpaved and very steep. It only has room for one car at a time and it was hard to back out because if you do, then you'll obstruct the way of other cars heading to the same direction. At one stage, we decided to turn back but on our way down, we met up vehicles going up too. Instantly, we knew that the road we're taking is safe as there are others taking the same road. I begun to transfer the transmission to 4x4 mode which would give enough torque on our way up. After 20 minutes of steep climb, the road turned to be paved and leveled. At last we saw more vehicles, people and restaurants which gave us a relief. Immediately a spectacular site appeared in front of us and we immediately took photos of this magnificent view as you will see from your screen. It was a fantastic view and feeling that you've almost reached the sky. Looking down from where we are, we've seen more mountains and greens. Right at the middle, a lake is well in place. We were so hungry that we were tempted to eat on the nearest restaurant. However, we chose not to and still look for the well known "Pie in the Sky".
Know more about the Dandenong Ranges.
Honestly, it was a pretty scary travel on our way up the mountain. The road we took is a less traveled one. The road is unpaved and very steep. It only has room for one car at a time and it was hard to back out because if you do, then you'll obstruct the way of other cars heading to the same direction. At one stage, we decided to turn back but on our way down, we met up vehicles going up too. Instantly, we knew that the road we're taking is safe as there are others taking the same road. I begun to transfer the transmission to 4x4 mode which would give enough torque on our way up. After 20 minutes of steep climb, the road turned to be paved and leveled. At last we saw more vehicles, people and restaurants which gave us a relief. Immediately a spectacular site appeared in front of us and we immediately took photos of this magnificent view as you will see from your screen. It was a fantastic view and feeling that you've almost reached the sky. Looking down from where we are, we've seen more mountains and greens. Right at the middle, a lake is well in place. We were so hungry that we were tempted to eat on the nearest restaurant. However, we chose not to and still look for the well known "Pie in the Sky".
Know more about the Dandenong Ranges.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
DSLR for savvymigrant
Last Sunday me and my family went to the 10:30 mass near our domain. After that, we went to the shopping centre and bought our very first DSLR camera. We bought the camera at JB Hi-fi. They've got good deals and promos for sort of items like this. We bought a Nikon D40 DSLR camera. It is just basic and entry level one for DSLRs but having Nikon as the brand and me being just a beginner, I'm sure this will be enough to do the works. I also made some research on reviews for this brand and model and it turned out to be excellent for a neophyte on this field, like me.
It is a great feeling to have a camera that will take more beautiful pictures of my family and our adventures to Australia. I am also happy because I could start learning to take good photos for this blog so that all viewers may enjoy more of what you see. I've admired other bloggers who took good photos with their own DSLR cameras and have shared them to their respective readers. Even I, really do enjoy nice and clear photos on blogs.
I am also currently working to build a new home for savvy migrant with the help of my friend in the Philippines. Soon it will be housed at www.savvymigrant.com and hopefully we can have it up and running before Christmas. I learned that moving this blog into an independent hosting with Wordpress blog software would reach more internet and blog savvies. This particularly means that this blog will be indexed on other search engine apart from google which is ideal.
With this, I do hope that you could still stay in tune with me as more interesting stories and informations about migrating to Australia will be tackled in a different level but still with the same aim of helping fellow migrants live and survive challenges of migrating.
With this, I do hope that you could still stay in tune with me as more interesting stories and informations about migrating to Australia will be tackled in a different level but still with the same aim of helping fellow migrants live and survive challenges of migrating.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Our second baby's first photo
My wife had her first ultrasound on 27th of September when she was still on her 12th week. It was our first glimpse of our second child and we felt excited and happy knowing that everything seems well. Our baby was taken photos of each body part to make sure each one of them has developed well at that stage.
Prior to her ultrasound, we went to see our GP(General Practitioner) a couple of times for check ups and recommendations. That is how it works in Australia. We don't have a private health insurance as we don't see the need to have one. Different migrants may have different opinion on this. For us, one of the best benefit of Australians is the Medicare. We are entitled to a free health care. Everything might not be free like ultrasound and some screenings but the bigger part or what you will more often do like seeing your doctor and undergoing some more important tests can be done without paying anything. All we have to do is show our Medicare card and that's it.
Prior to her ultrasound, we went to see our GP(General Practitioner) a couple of times for check ups and recommendations. That is how it works in Australia. We don't have a private health insurance as we don't see the need to have one. Different migrants may have different opinion on this. For us, one of the best benefit of Australians is the Medicare. We are entitled to a free health care. Everything might not be free like ultrasound and some screenings but the bigger part or what you will more often do like seeing your doctor and undergoing some more important tests can be done without paying anything. All we have to do is show our Medicare card and that's it.
The advantage of having private insurance in relation to maternity is you can get to see a specialist, in this case an OB-Gyne if you want to. Since Medicare is government paid, seeing an OB-Gyne and a mid wife shall be booked by the respective clinics you will need to go to. Booking date will be made known to you after about a week or two from the date the GP's recommendations has been received by them. In my wife's case, she's set to see her midwife and OB-Gyne on 31st October and 27th November, respectively.
Schedules may seem to be uncomfortable for some especially for first time mothers but just to make everyone at ease, we got our GP whom we could see anytime a problem comes up. In situations which they can't handle anymore, then they will give recommendation to see an Ob-Gyne urgently. So far and thank God, my wife never had big issues on her pregnancy, so we didn't have to get this far. Our GP, in fairness, knows what she's doing and could be relied upon on some questions regarding pregnancy. She was the one who read the results of my wife's blood test and prescribed some vitamins. She also advised my wife what she can and cannot take in too much which is good.
For the ultrasound, we paid $150.oo which we believe is really worth it as we are given a copy of it in a big x-ray film with different shots of our baby. We were told that ultrasound used to be free before but it was abused by some pregnant women who took it in as much as they would want to. This is not a problem to us, though. We believe that delivering this baby safe in a respectable hospital with no charge is already a big help. So much more, when we receive the baby bonus.!
Schedules may seem to be uncomfortable for some especially for first time mothers but just to make everyone at ease, we got our GP whom we could see anytime a problem comes up. In situations which they can't handle anymore, then they will give recommendation to see an Ob-Gyne urgently. So far and thank God, my wife never had big issues on her pregnancy, so we didn't have to get this far. Our GP, in fairness, knows what she's doing and could be relied upon on some questions regarding pregnancy. She was the one who read the results of my wife's blood test and prescribed some vitamins. She also advised my wife what she can and cannot take in too much which is good.
For the ultrasound, we paid $150.oo which we believe is really worth it as we are given a copy of it in a big x-ray film with different shots of our baby. We were told that ultrasound used to be free before but it was abused by some pregnant women who took it in as much as they would want to. This is not a problem to us, though. We believe that delivering this baby safe in a respectable hospital with no charge is already a big help. So much more, when we receive the baby bonus.!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Enzo and his Trains
Enzo, our turning 3 year old son, likes his trains so much. He likes them with so much passion. That's why we bought him another toy train. This time it came with a train track and much more that he liked it. In fact, he just slept now as I was making this blog. His enthusiasm for trains seems to be growing and growing especially that he even got a Thomas and friends DVD and toys. Everyday he watches his Thomas and friends dvd on his portable player. He watches it everyday as if he is just seeing it the first time. Are we seeing a future train driver here? Hehehe.. As supportive parents, we would never stop our son from doing what he wants but a train owner would be better than a train driver wouldn't it?
Typical Saturday
Me and my wife make it a point to make Saturday a fun day for our son. We often go to shopping centres and take our son Enzo to some of the rides and arcades inside the centre. A typical Saturday for us is to have lunch out. We try some restos that we've never tried before. After all, being new to the country feels like your just a baby exploring new things around you.
prams & baby strollers
My wife is on her 14th week of pregnancy and we are very excited to welcome her/him. Like most parents, we are excited that we are expecting a baby. Though its our second one, we still can't help but look for baby strollers and other baby needs even this early. As a relatively new migrant here in Australia, we are keen to know what strollers or prams and other baby needs are available in the market. We're also interested to know the designs, the leading brands and the respective prices. But most of all we are looking for stuffs that would really be functional yet suits the budget. Baby bonus should be spent with prudence as baby's welfare is most important.
We also realized that the well known brands of strollers/prams in the Philippines like Chicco and Graco are not being offered here in Australia. Upon looking at the available products here in AU, we were glad that there are far more varieties of baby strollers and other baby needs available.
Stroller brands that attracted us are Quinny, Stokke, Strider and Joolz.
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