Savvy Phone

These past few days I was too happy as I have discovered a great way to save our hard earned money in communication especially in keeping in touch with all our loved ones and friends from overseas. For those of you who may not be aware yet, I am introducing the Skypephone WP-S1. It was offered for free by Hutchison 3G Australia or 3 on the $29.00 cap/plan. I was amazed by what this mobile phone could possibly do because it does not only make you contactable anywhere you are but it allows you to call anybody who is using Skype on their computers around the world(provided you are within the Skype Broadband zone) and they are also able to call you from their PCs to your Skypephone for no charge at all! Isn't this enough reason for me to be happy about?

We've been using Skype on our laptop to call our relatives from overseas for almost a year now. We found it very valuable because it saves us a lot of money by not using our regular mobile or other phone lines. However, we found it not to be as convenient as the regular lines when calling because we need to be on our computer and access our Skype account before we could get on. Most of the time, our relatives would have to wait for us to come home to access our computer. Now, it got better because of the Skypephone. You could virtually get on to Skype wherever you go and no matter how mobile you are. This morning, I have rang my brother from overseas on his computer and the line is as clear as the regular one. He even called me up a few times on my Skypephone and while writing this blog we spoke for about 30 minutes. It's a nice feeling to speak to someone without worrying about the bills. Agree???

As what is stated on the brochure, skypephone customers got a limit of 4000 minutes of outgoing calls (thats over 60hours per month or 2 hours per day) and 10,000 chat messages (sent and received) per month. For me, 2 hours a day is way too much just to keep in touch with relatives and friends. The other good side of this is your relatives or friends can save money as well by not buying pre paid cards just to call you on your mobile when you are not on your pc. It goes to show how powerful skype is. With over ten million subscribers online, VOIP(Voice Over Internet Protocol) will be the way of the future.

I am not a technically savvy person, that is why when I chose this phone, a silly thought pop out of my mind. Could I still use skypephone to make a call onto other lines like Optus, Telstra and Vodaphone etc...? The answer is yes. It works the same as the regular mobile phones. I've tried ringing our landline and as well as my wife's mobile. It works perfect. The other question is how can I set up this phone to skype? Do I have to manually type in the user ID on my contact list? The answer is no. If you are already a skype user, simply enter your log in details on the Skype screen and all your existing Skype buddies will automatically load into your contact list. It's very much switch on and can be activated in less than 24 hours. The other good thing in switching to 3 is that they can have you maintain your original number regardless of what network it was originally from. This is very handy, though I think some other networks could also possibly do this as well.

Lastly, I just want to pop this question up. Which do you normally go for when choosing for something to buy? Is it style or functionality? When choosing or buying something, I normally go for the functionality before the style. I know that style is cool but on a more important note, most of us migrants should choose functionality because during the settlement stage, every dollar counts. The more you get savvy ways of doing things, the faster you can settle. Using 3 skypephone mobile is definitely a savvy way for a savvy migrant.

Community Fair

My whole family recently attended a community fair close to where we live. It was a good and fun-filled day because there were a lot of activities which my kid really enjoyed. There was a little farm with heaps of ducks and bunnies. A goat, a lamb and a little pig played around with the ducks and bunnies. These animals are tame enough for the kids to touch and feed with leafy veggies. There was also a clown that blew a balloon shaped like a puppy. There were also room for those who are selling old but still nice stuffs at cheaper prices. Finger foods were also all over the place. But what me and my kid truly enjoyed was the Dodge bump car. At first, I thought that my little boy will get scared but to my amaze, he actually enjoyed the ride. It was a very enjoying experience because it has been a while since the last time I got on it. This time it was more fun with my kid beside me and witnessing his first ever ride on a bump car.

When we starved for food, we rushed into a chicken & chips food stall. We ordered a roast chicken, large chips ( frenchfries as some of us will call it ) and a rice salad which is surprisingly yummy. The rice salad looks just like a fried rice, only that the stuffs put on it(carrots, peas, onions) were fresh and the whole pack was served cold as it is a salad, in the first place. It was a simple meal that we had but completed the family day with a smile.

Moment of waiting

This whole week will be very vital to us as it is during this period that we will hear some news about my mother-in-law's visa application result. Just to give you a brief idea, my mother is currently on a one year visitor's visa. We applied for this long stay visa last year for her so she could look after our 2 year old son, Enzo. It's not that we don't trust other people to take care of him like child care or day care centres, but I know that most of the parents would agree when I say that you have more peace of mind knowing that your son is at home and being looked after by someone who really cares to your family like our own mothers. Nothing beats that feeling of convenience that you don't have to rush from work to pick up your son before he's been left alone at the centre with the carer by the other kids who were already picked up by their parents. You don't need to worry to much when he's sick as you know that he's in safe hands. With this, we decided that my and my wife's mother to alternately come down to Australia and look after our son. Isn't it more economical to spend 1000 to 1500 AUD for airfare and visa once to get your relative to visit and babysit for you rather than spend 900 to 1000 AUD per month to pay for the carers? We do believe that paying for child care centres is far more expensive considering that this amount has already been reduced by the child care benefit that you could get from the Centrelink.

My mother has been here for nine months now and she's booked to return to Manila on September. We cannot keep her any longer not only because her visa is expiring on October but two grandsons await her return. She has not yet seen the latest addition to the family, my brother's first son who was born in April while she was here in Australia with us. My Dad has helped us with my mother-in-law's papers and visa application. We did a letter sent out to the Embassy confirming the purpose of her stay and that we are responsible for her well being during her stay with us. She has also undergone medical examination particularly X-Ray. We attached on our letter a photocopy of my mom's e-ticket to serve as a proof that we really abide the rules set forth on the visa stay granted which we would also intend to keep with my mother-in-law's coming. It was really a long process for her as she never had any passport before because of her citizenship issue which was never fixed before.

We hope and pray that she will also be granted with the same visa stay to save us also from more work and more expenses as well. We do hope that the medical exam turns out good because otherwise our last option is only for 3 months stay visa, which obviously will be more expensive since we would have to re-apply the visa every after three months and spend the same amount for the airfare.

Thinking positively, we are now preparing for her arrival to Australia. My wife and I would definitely take a week or two off from work to tour her around Melbourne and let her see the wonders and beautiful scenes that amazed us when we came here. It's not only that we need her to look after our son but we also do want to share with her the beauty and convenience of Australian living.

Awesome cars caught on my cam

When I do have my camera with me and there is an opportunity to take shots, I take a lot of photos of the cars that fascinate me. Though these represent not even a tenth of what i saw, these machines arouse my enthusiasm for cars.

This is one aspect I love about Australia, seeing these magnificent cars running on the road. It always makes me wonder what Australia can offer for us migrants and how possible it is to get and drive our very own dream cars.

Most Common Cars in Australia

During our one year stay in Australia as migrants. I've noticed what cars Aussies use. I listed it base on their visibility on the road.

1. Holden Commodore / Ute
2. Ford Falcon / Focus / Territory
3. Toyota Camry / Corolla
5. Mitsubishi Lancer / Magna
6. Mazda 626/ 6 and 3 series
7. Toyota Rav4 / Land Cruiser / Hilux
7. Subaru Impreza/ Forrester
8. Nissan Pulsar / Skyline
9. Holden Astra/ Barina / Captiva / Statesman
10. Volkswagen Passat / Golf

These cars are common on the road. I personally did not know Holden as a brand of a car until I came here in Australia. Holden is actually General Motors. In the country where I came from, we got different names from how some cars are called here in Australia. Australia's Holden Astra and Holden Captiva are called Opel Astra and Chevrolet Captiva, respectively, for some countries. Australia branded some Isuzu cars with its very own Holden like Isuzu Trooper and Isuzu pick up which are both known as Holden Jackaroo and Holden Rodeo. Though Holden is not really famous in other countries, I must admit that I fell in love with its Commodore. It's design is very good both on exterior and interior. I would love to get one of this commodore and to see it parked in our garage one of these days.

Rich Migrant in Australia

When I turned 18 years of age, I begun to read business and inspiring books about people who made it from rags to riches and about people with enough resources who managed to multiply their wealth 100 to even thousands times. I am truly a fan of the great authors like Robert Kiosaki who authored the famous book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Group, Warren Buffet "currently the richest man on the planet", Steve Jobs of Apple and Pixar.

I also admire people who courageously conquered fear and continued to pursue perfection like Michael Jordan who we all know is the greatest basketball player, Manny Pacquiao who started as a struggling boxer to world renowned boxing champion pound per pound. These people obviously did not start big but they made their way as to what they want themselves to be. This made me realize that I myself is not different to them. If I could just apply the values and the right attitude, I realized that I could also get on to my dreams.

When we arrived in Australia as migrants in May 2007, I do had a dream of making it big. Even though i knew that it's gonna be tough, I do believe it's possible after all. Why do I say this? It is because I want to set my mind that everything is possible as that's the fact the one should truly believe on. All I want to say is that all of us migrants should stick to our minds that we can get what ever we want in life if we persevere and conquer our fear as we already did when we migrated. Having that decision is basically one step forward.

I would like to introduce a story of a successful migrant in Australia. His name is John Ilhan. His family migrated here from turkey when he was 5 years old. For those who don't know him, he is the man behind the largest mobile phone retail chain in Australia called Crazy John and employs more than 700 people with more than 120 branches across the country. In 2007, he was the 126th richest man in Australia with a net worth of $310 million. Not bad for a migrant who started as a boy who struggles speaking English to a car salesman and turned to be a multi-millionaire in his early 30's. Though it was a big loss because of his sudden death last year at young age of 42, I am very inspired of his life story. He is a perfect example of a migrant who dream big and made it big in Australia.

Again, this story reminded me to think that I and all of you fellow migrants are no different to him. If we would just believe in ourselves and patiently persevere, all our dreams could come true regardless of where we are and who we are.

An Inspiration for Migrants

My wife and I would just want to share an inspirational message that we have truly liked and appreciated as soon as we got hold of the pocket inspiration that my wife had bought in one of the shops in Melbourne CBD. We do believe that each one of us could cling on to this message to keep holding and fighting. Here it goes:

DON'T QUIT

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you
must not quit.

-ANONYMOUS-

We do hope that we have shared something valuable and will be of essence to how we deal with our struggles being a migrant. Let's NOT QUIT.

To whoever had authored this inspirational message, HAT's OFF to you. We truly adore your piece and had really made a significant impact to our outlook. DON'T QUIT.

Tips on How to Settle Fast in Australia

I would like to share with you a few tips on how migrants could settle faster in Australia. The following are sorted out based on their importance.

• Courage and Positive Attitude. There are various challenges migrants will face in their settlement stage especially if they do not have friends and relatives to guide and support them. Things like finding a job, securing a property to rent out, knowing what bus to get on to, applying for a driver's license and applying for TFN#s(tax file number)... But with courage and positive outlook in life, we will surely get things done. Don't give up. You can do it. Just take one step at a time.
  

• Be humble and be open for help. No man is an island. Some people will be glad to help you when they know that you are basically a newly arrived migrant in some ways that they can. They would be open to help as they were once on the same shoe as you are back then. They knew about the challenges and the pains you are going through. It's not surprising that some of them will give you kitchenwares, beddings, used clothings, furnitures, pram for the kids and even money. Be humble enough to accept it and thank them. That way you are about to build relationship with them. Be sure to accept their invitation for a lunch or dinner at their respective houses. Just think about this..You will be able to return the favor soon by doing the same thing to other migrants.
  

• Get a job as soon as soon as you can. Most of the challenges in the settlement are basically financial matters. Once you got a job, things will be lighter. Suddenly, you might think that you can now get a car for your transport, secure property to rent out, treat your family for some movies and nice All-you-can Eat restaurants like Smorgy's.

• Search for ways to accomplish things faster. Time is gold specially if you're living in a first world country. A good example would be having a system to pay your utilities and expenses via internet. You can set up an online account with some of the big banks here like ANZ, NAB, Commonwealth Bank & Westpac to name a few. I personally use ANZ bank for my transactions. Though i have not used the other banks, I found ANZ quite easy to use. On the other hand, Commonwealth bank is everywhere if we speak about the visibility of the ATM machines. By using the internet you can also browse some sites that of concern to you like the Australian Tax Office, Centrelink, Medicare, Vicroads or the licensing authorities in your state etc..Get all the information before you personally come to those offices so you would know what to bring in as to not waste your time.

• Be frugal. Always remember that during the settlement, everything should be basic. Don't buy luxurious things like expensive cars, LCD or plasma tv, brand new lounges, designer clothes etc... Start cheap. I recommend you to try cash converters. They are a second hand store that sells appliance like TV, DVD players, mobile phones, computers, kitchenwares etc... The price are very reasonable and suitable for a starting migrant. Ebay is also a good online auction site not to be missed. You can buy car seats for babies at bargain prices. This will save you heaps of money than buying a new one in stores. Don't also forget to book your weekend mornings for garage sales in your area. Don't be late so you could get the chance to choose. Early bird catches the worm..
  

Do all these sound FUN for you? I tell you..it may look difficult but just have some fun doing them and you won't notice that you get them all done and over with. GOODLUCK!

Seat back and relax

Its been a long and tiring work week for me and my wife so we decided to take a break and bring along our kid Enzo to his first movie ever. The movie we watched last Saturday afternoon was Kung Fu Panda. Its been a long time since my wife and I had last saw a movie. We opted to watch in Village Cinema at Sunshine Mall.

We were quite surprise that though he is just two years old, he was able to enjoy and finish the full length movie. He was very attentive and focus and laugh when he heard other kids' laughter. It was a joy being a parent to see him enjoying our company. That's basically what our goal in life is..To live a comfortable life without having to sacrifice much of our time for the family.

Kung Fu Panda, was a nice and feel-good movie. It was really enjoyable for kids especially with Po, the panda bear(voiced by Jack Black) showing his plumpness on some martial arts scene. It's not an unusual story to see but the message is still great when comprehended. It's all about believing in one's self and that fate still takes its course. It's not always talent and skill that will pave the way but COURAGE and GOOD HEART, as well.

This was a good break for us to unwind and get ourselves back on track.

Parks in Australia

One of the biggest advantage of being an Australian Migrant is having to enjoy the use of parks and playgrounds without costing you any cent at all. Kids and parents would surely enjoy them. Parks are really spacious and grassy which would give your kids a chance to run and play around it. They are everywhere in Australia, I am sure. You won't have difficulty in finding one as every suburb has one or even more than one. Children's playgrounds normally are on it. Slides of different sizes, swings and basketball courts are very much free for everybody's use. The area where the children's playground is, is properly landscaped and well designed to provide a nice view for each one's eyesight. The flooring is also made sure to be safe for kids. That's one of what we can be proud of Australia, Safety is always on top of priority. Parents could also do their own stuffs while kids are playing. They could jog around and do some physical exercises. The parks are also equipped with tables and chairs where families could share their meal or picnic at. Some of the bigger parks have man-made lakes to go with them. Rubbish bins are provided as well to maintain the cleanliness of the vicinity. That, I would say is the only thing being asked from us, to put away our own rubbish to help out in maintaining the beauty of the park. Visitors are even allowed to feed the geese and seagulls with bread crumbs and whatever food they brought over.

If you try to put all these things together and picture them out in just one scene, isn't it a great view to see? Well parents, with no fee to worry about, being assured of your kids safety and enjoyment and being provided with an enriching view to wander at, what more can we ask for? Just make sure that you are fully geared and properly dressed depending on what the weather is to be assured of a fun filled day at the park with the whole family!