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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.!

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.

Route to Savvyness

While searching the net in August last year about wealthy men in Australia and how to become one, I found this website of 21st Century Academy, www.21stcenturyacademy.com. This website made a big impact on mu outlook about money, employment, business, investment and life. Although I'm a fan of Robert Kiosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and Warren Buffet, currently the richest man in the world, I still became fascinated by the story of this young Australian guy who managed to raise himself up from being broke with $150K debt to being a multi-millionaire in just a couple of years. His name is Jamie McIntyre.

At first ,I thought this website might be another get rich quick scheme like some scams on the net. But because I was really that curious about the ways to be rich, I still went on to his site and read his story and some of his financial strategies.

I found out that his ways to financial freedom is not really different to what I've read on some How to Become rich books. The principles are still the same. You have to be involved in Business, Properties or Shares in order for you to be wealthy. What interest me in his teachings was that he explained most of his strategies in Australian setup. As an Australian Migrant who aspires to be rich one day, it is but right to listen to successful people who made it too in Australia, Isn't it?

He also tackled good questions like If Australia is considered to be one of the wealthiest nation in the world and why 90% of its people are not rich? Why working 40 years of your life and relying just on your superannuation upon retirement is not a good plan and Why working smart not hard is the better way in the 21st century and etc... It also struck me when he said that with internet and faster communications being available, wealth can also be accumulated rapidly and transferred than ever before. This means that even new migrants like us can be wealthy too and get the dreams we always wanted.

Though I have not applied 95% of his teachings, I hope this blog would be the start. That someday, I may also be known to many readers and to many advertisers as well but most importantly be able to share what I knew and have learned to help other aspiring to be rich person like me.

Quality of Life After Migration

While I was searching for my blog ranking at google, I stumbled upon this interesting thesis about the comparative study between Filipino and Vietnamese migrants in Australia. It's all about their quality of life after migration. I found it very educational especially for those who are seriously contemplating to move permanently to Australia and to migrants who are still adjusting here.

click this link: acqol.deakin.edu.au/theses/Jehobo.doc
by Debbie Jehodo.

I totally agree with this thesis saying that the level of proficiency of migrant's English plays an important factor on his mental, physical and material well being. Also the ability of the migrant to establish social support and gain friends tends to be very helpful in the well being of most migrants as it avoid one from stress and depression.

Food Star

One of our favorite resto in Melbourne is Food Star located in Sunshine. It's an All you-can-eat resto with plenty of food varieties. They've got sushi's, shrimps, octopus, steamed fish and gigantic mussels which is my all time favorite. I can eat 2 to 3 full plates of these mussels simmered in white vinegar as my appetizer and main dish as well.

For the meat varieties, my family loved the fried chicken. Though its an ordinary dish, the way it taste brings back the memories of the famous Chicken resto in our country "Max's Fried Chicken". It really taste the same. We just need to bring our very own tomato sauce to go with this chicken and that's it. Then they also got lamb shanks which you really don't want to miss if you're in Australia. They've also got ham which suits my taste because its quite sweet. Roast beef is not bad at all. Taste better with their gravy sauce.

Their soups are quite simple but you can choose from 3 different kinds. Most of the time they serve chicken and corn soup, cream of mushroom and pumpkin soup. You also get to choose some Italian dishes like pizzas and pastas.

You also got to choose from varieties of deserts from fresh fruits, pastries, cakes and sundaes. Coffee and tea is free. They've got a vendo machine in the corner for coffee and hot water for tea. In totality, Food Star Family restaurant is a safe choice when you like to treat family or friends because of the varieties of food. You won't go wrong because the price is not that expensive. It ranges from $13 to $20 depending if your having weekday or weekend dinner or lunch.

I like to go back there sometime soon as I already miss these gigantic mussels and the fried chicken..See you all there!

Daylight Saving Time

It was a beautiful sunday morning and we are preparing to get dressed for the 10.30 AM mass when I just realized that today is the start of the Daylight Saving Time(DST) wherein local clocks have to be forward adjusted by one hour. We missed the mass as we are totally late but there's an afternoon mass to make up. It's good though that they make it on Sunday when we start to hit DST as we won't get late from work.

DST, which signals that summer time is almost approaching, is being implemented in most parts of Australia. Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory adopts change at the same date for time change which starts today and will finish on 5th April. 2009. Western Australia is yet to change their clocks on the 26th October and will finish earlier on 29th March 2009. Queensland and Northern Territory do not observe DST.

All Australian states who adopts DST always start at 2.00 AM when time changes.

Back on deck

After a month's silence, I am now ready and charged up again to write down our family experiences during the past weeks. Ever since my father visited us, our time was mostly spent on traveling, eating out, watching movies etc.. We tried so much to let them enjoy the beauty of Australia and I know he did. Me and my Wife also enjoyed our holidays specially we did spend our time with our little kid Enzo though it felt just a little short.

Since my parents just got back to Philippines a week ago. I am now ready to write again. I felt many things has happened and I want to share them all to you. There are couple of topics and issues I would like to share to you immediately. Topics like Our work experiences here in Australia, The good restos and cool places that we just discovered lately, the sights and thoughts in visiting our relative in Adelaide and the impact of US financial crisis to migrants and companies here in Australia.

Also I would be documenting on this blog our 2nd child's progress. He or She is 3 months old now in the secure and comfortable domain of my wife's womb. Here, I would also write what are the system in place for pregnant women particularly the medicare support, government incentives and doctors advices about pregnancy.

Again I would like to let you know that I'm back on deck, charged up and ready to roll. Cheers Mate!