Home in Syd

Starting today... this blog will be brought to life again with the plans of building a home for our family here in Sydney. Our quest for a land or a built house begins. :)

Cheers!

Hot Choco Delight

Had an impromptu visit to one of our favorite place at St. Ives - Max Brenner.  Our alternative to coffee whenever we don't want to drink coffee on a nice evening.  Last Sunday, after a long day, we decided to spend an hour or so with good friends to enjoy some hot drinks and a nice chit chat since most of them went home to the Phils during the Christmas holidays.  

My Hot Milk Chocolate

Joanna ordered the Dark Chocolate 

It was all fun with friends.  

Even John was asleep most of the time.  

Until next time... a great start in 2009.  

From a Visiting Friend who lives in HKG

The following is an excerpt from my friend who just visited for their family vacation.

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Peachy, me and Katriel just had a great vacation in Australia. We were planning this trip since 2006, saving up on the plane tickets and the expected expenses along the way.

One of our main reasons for deciding to visit Australia is to see how it is living there. Peachy and I are looking at 3 countries wherein we would like to eventually migrate….USA (West Coast), Australia (Sydney), or Canada (Vancouver). We’ve already been to the US, and we decided to go to Sydney next.

We stayed in Australia for 19 days, going to Sydney and the Gold Coast. Peachy had some business to do the first week, hence we were booked at the Hilton Sydney. The rest of the time, we alternatively stayed at my cousin Ton’s place and my classmate Elmer’s place. We also went to Gold Coast where all the major theme parks in Australia are located.

Some of my insights on our trip:

1. Totally different pace of living. Its slower than what you are used to. Nagulat nga ako that malls and other stores generally close at 5 or 6pm! Wala ka nang mapuntahan after 6pm. People kasi value their time with their families, hence they close shop early. Only a few shops are open after 6pm.

2. People love to have a good time. People love to spend time with their families, playing sports, going to the beach or just grabbing a drink with friends. Unlike HK wherein people literally kill themselves over work or school, people in Australia have a very healthy mix of work and play. This is one of the major factors for me and Peachy when deciding which place to eventually migrate.

3. Very friendly people! People here are so friendly! You could literally strike a conversation with anyone on the street. A lot of people were striking up a conversation with Katriel, and Katriel was asking me why do the people talk to her. Sa HK kasi puro suplado ang mga tao dun.

4. Fresh air! One thing you immediately notice upon arriving in Australia are the beautifully clouds. Its soooo clear and picturesque! People here clearly take care of their environment.

5. Great Beaches. There are so many beaches around Sydney. The sand is white and pure, and the water is greenish blue clean. Going to the beach here is just like going to the grocery. It’s a part of life for Aussies.

6. No helpers. Unlike what we’re used to in Manila or even here in HK, they don’t allow for helpers in Australia. You are on your own. Though this may inconvenience you at first, eventually masasanay ka rin.

6. Great Food! The food is absolutely fresh and tasty. The steaks are totally great! The seafood is really really fresh.

6. Expensive! I was quite surprised that prices of stuff in Australia are quite expensive, even comparing it to HK! A Big Mac meal is around PHP230, and a regular food court meal is around PHP380. Talk about expensive! But then again, if your living there, they say that just having a simple work is enough for you to get by (and still enjoy your weekly steak and having fun!).

9. Very diverse people. Am not sure in other places, but in Sydney I was surprised of the various nationalities living there. If you didn’t know you were in Sydney, you wouldn’t know where you were because of the so many different people around you (Indian, Chinese, Pinoys, Korean, Japanese, etc.).

10. Chips only, no rice. The favorite food staple here is fish and chips, and any other food paired with chips. Bihira lang ang may rice! For pinoys, medyo mahirap mag adjust. You usually can get your rice meal at Chinese places. But in general, its chips.

11. G’day mite! The Aussie English initially is quite confusing and hard to understand. Getting a hang of it could take some time. But I’d take that anytime than the HK English.

Definitely one of the best, if not the best, places my family has been to!

If you have never been to Australia, I strongly suggest you take a visit and I’m sure you will love the place!

Cheers!

Photo by Darby Agregado

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• Chips is what Pinoys call french fries.
• It may look expensive if you convert it to another currency, it slightly becomes affordable once you earn locally
• Everything closes early. Yes it does. It just takes some discipline to schedule where you want to go. Restaurants and bars closes late. Shopping malls closes early except for Thursdays. If you think about it, if you have a family, do you have time to go out at night to shop, or go 'malling'.
  

Helpful Websites

1. Centrelink - www.centrelink.gov.au
2. Family Assistance Office - http://www.familyassist.gov.au/
3. Medicare - http://www.medicare.gov.au/
4. Australian Tax Office - http://www.ato.gov.au/
5. SEEK - www.seek.com.au
6. Find your way with Whereis - www.whereis.com
7. SENSIS - www.sensis.com.au
8. City Rail - http://www.cityrail.com.au/index.jsp
9. RTA where you apply for a licence - http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/
10. Foxtel Digital - www.foxtel.com.au
11. Bigpond Broadband - www.bigpond.com

As Soon As You Arrive

When we arrived last June 2006 for the initial entry, we were assisted by our good friends. They gave us some tips that really helped us almost immediately.

1. Opening a bank account immediately - with a passport and a TFN, you will be able to open a bank account even without depositing a single cent. Take note though that they charge a certain amount to maintain your account. Out first bank (St. George) offers a 6/month charge so I can have unlimited ATM use and access to EFTPOS (your ATM acts like a debit card, similar to BPI's Expresspayment). We moved to Citibank since it meets the needs of the family. There are a lot of banks to choose from.
2. Register for Centrelink, Medicare, your TFN, etc - Get to know the different governement requirement and be sure to have the required documents with you.
   
3. David Jones - This is not part of the movie Pirates... Filipinos here say it is like Rustans in Manila. Some items are pricey. But what is nice about David Jones are first their price promise - it means that they will match the price of the competitor given that it is readily available in another store. We saved almost A$900 with our purchase of an appliance last December. Second, with a minimum of A$500 purchase, you can get an 18-month zero interest (of course there is some minimum charge 2.95/month). Last Christmas they even offered a 4 Years Zero Interest.
   
4. Scout for prices especially for big ticket items - take your time to canvas, there are a lot of stores you can scout for bargains - The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Myers, K-Mart and Target. You'd love the items in IKEA and Freedom too for home furnishings.
5. Save money when you purchase items at the same time in one store. Don't stop at comparing listed prices, sometimes the delivery charge would offset any savings you thought you can get. Let's say you need to buy a ref, washing machine, dryer and a microwave. If you get the items from different stores, then each of them (except the microwave which you carry home) will charge you delivery per item. That may eat up your 30-50 dollar savings. If you purchase it in one store, they can sometimes charge you with a one time fee and that's it. On a side note, having it delivered makes it easier to bring up the appliance especially if you are living in a unit/condominium type.
   
6. Bargain! Bargain! Bargain! What we know in the Philippines is that you can not bargain or 'tawad' in stores like SM or Rustans. In Australia, you can do that with any store. If you bundle your purchases, then you get to bargain more, sometimes you can bargain to have free deliver or maybe a 5-15% discount.
   
7. Floor Stock - We did get a bargain with a ref and a washing machine since they were floor stock items (display items). We didn't mind getting a floor stock since we know that the ref and washing machine were not operated inside the store so that should be ok. Also, it came with a 3yrs warranty too (longer than the usual). Some floor stock like television are also available for you to check too. The new ref we bought was priced at A$1.500, it was on sale for 950 since it was a floorstock. When we were paying for it, he decided to just give it for 900. Do you think it is a great deal?
8. Looking for a place to rent - visit www.realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au before even leaving for Sydney, try to browse around to get an idea of the prices of rentals, types of rental (house, unit, a granny flat), profiles of the different suburbs, etc. Ask your friends who are in Sydney on which areas are good. Do your homework. When you are ready to rent, you just need to get a job and some references. Since we didn't have any rental history, we relied on my wife's manager to vouch for us.
   
9. Driving in Sydney - most of the areas in Sydney are accessible via train, bus or ferry. But if you need a car or planning to drive, process your Driver's Licence application as early as possible. Visit the RTA website for information. What I did is that I took the written exam (you can practice online until you are confident to take the exam). After passing that, you have an option: Option A - get a learner's licence, this will also mean that you can not drive on your own. You can't use your Phil Driver's License anymore. Option B - directly schedule an actual driving test. This will allow you to still use your Phil License until the 3rd month of your stay. It gives you time to practice too. I took Option B so I can practice on my own.
   
10. It pays to take a refresher driving course even if you are a seasoned driver in Manila - since the cars are right-hand drive, there is a difference in orientation. There are also other things to watch out for like roundabouts (or what we call rotonda) and what other drivers fear the most - parallel parking. (check the other blog entry on Driving). One last benefit of taking a refresher is that you get to know how you will be rated to pass the driving exam.
    
11. If you have a US Driver's License, you can easily get a Driver's License here without the need to take the exam.
    
12. Enjoy the outdoor life - here in Sydney, you don't really need to spend big to enjoy the beach or have some good family time. Beaches are reachable through train and buses, parks where you can have a picnic and kids to play in a playground is everywhere. When you have some extra, then you can go to places with entrance fees - Sydney Aquarium, Tarongga Zoo, Featherdale Wildlife Park, etc. Be sure to protect yourself with sunscreen and a pair of sunglasses.
    
13. Pinoy Food - most of the items you will ever want can be found in an asian or filipino store. Last weekend a family friend cooked 'laing' and it tasted really great. All the ingredients came from the asian store.
    
14. Cable Channels - If you love watching TV, you don't necessarily need a cable subscription. One thing that made us get a subscription is that my daughter love Disney Channels (there is 2) and Nick Jr. We got Foxtel Digital. One thing I noticed and was verified by a sales person in one store is that Foxtel has most broadcasts in 4:3 and not on widescreen. So if you have a widescreen TV, it tends to be cropped for some shows. If you have an HDTV with a tuner (or a separate set-top box), you can get arial digital signal. It will get you more channels and the best thing is that it will be a HD broadcast.
    

Preparing To Leave

Before Leaving the Philippines

1. Maximize your luggage - need I say more. We didn't bring any appliance except for a DVD player due to fear that it won't play my Region 1 DVDs. You can buy multi-region as low as A$150 (around 6k). There are other models/brands who can go as low as A$69. In hindsight, I should have bought one here. Assures me that it is an all-region DVD, I don't need a transformer (my DVD player is 110V).
   
2. Driver's License - make sure that you have renewed your license before leaving the country. If you have not kept your old O.R. you better get a certification from LTO (we live in Makati but my brother was asked to go to the head office in East Ave.
3. Medical Records - it doesn't hurt to bring some documents from your current doctor especially if you have a specific ailment. If you have a baby, get a certification of all the immunization he/she received. Once you arrive, just show it to a doctor so he can update your child's record with Medicare. Having an updated record helps you to get some Child Care Benefit (CCB through Centrelink).
   
4. Keep your old credit cards and find a way to have someone to pay for it - while starting up a life in a new place, you don't know if you will be given a credit card at once unless you get a job fast. It doesn't hurt to have some extra credit while trying to be prudent with purchases. Organize also someone to pay your bills while you are away. Better if you bank on the same company providing the credit card, you may be able to pay for it online.
   
5. Keep your philippine phone number and have it on roaming - when we arrived and tried to apply for a mobile phone, you need to show several documents. Some may take some more time to acquire like a drivers licence, a billing address, etc.
   
6. NSO Document - have at least one copy so you have an original certified copy. Once in a while you will be asked by a govt agency a proof of birth and your birth certificate and passport are a sample of documents you will be able to show.
   
7. Shipping items - we ended up shipping several items from Manila - my daughter's toys, kitchen stuff like plates, glasses and cookware. Most were relatively new so it seems a waste to sell it cheap and buy a new one here. We did bring most of the clothes and shoes that didn't fit our luggage. Take note also of the cost involve to have it shipped. You pay the forwarder in Manila to have it shipped, when it arrives in Sydney, you need to pay some amount to have it cleared through customs fee in customs depends on how many boxes. You don't need a customs broker to handle it for you. It is quite easy to handle. Of course when the broker in Sydney talks to you, they will say it is difficult
1. You get a notification from the broker on the date of actual arrival of the shipment
2. You pay the broker the fee required and get the documents you need to have it cleared in customs. We paide something like A$240. If we got their service to clear it through customs, they were charging me A$1200 delivery was another A$100. Doing it myself just caused me some manhours to take care of it, nothing else.
   
3. Go to the Customs Office and bring the necessary documents. If your items needs to go through quarantine, then you need to pay extra. So what we did is we didn't bring any items like wood and food/fruit related so we are sure we are free of that requirement. Once custom will stamp your document that it is cleared.
   
4. Go to the shipyard where your boxes are located and bring a vehicle that can fit your shipment. We ended up hiring a removalist (lipat bahay service) since we shipped about 14 boxes. Another option is hire a van (if you can drive or have a friend who can drive a van. Removalist worked for me to minimize lifting and we also picked up some items along the way that we bought from a friend so we sort of maximized their service.

Embarking on a new adventure

Jay and I met up with Reden for lunch just a simple goodbye to a good friend at work. Reden and Michelle will be going to Sydney this coming Saturday (July29). I am actually not gonna miss him because we will be following soon and they will be staying near the area where we plan to stay. It is not goodbye but more of "I will see you in a few months time".

During lunch I laughed about our life as employees of the same company, how we felt the politics in the workplace, and how people can change because of position. This is a good change for Reden and Michelle, a good opportunity to start their married life in a new place.

I myself is excited to move to Sydney. Promising work for Joanna. A chance for me to explore being an entrepreneur. Enjoy sydney through photography. Spending more time with our daughter Ianna. This is a good adventure for our family too :)

Initial Steps

here is an excerpt from my wife to my sister who inquired how we went about the process.

go to http://www.immi.gov.au/
and go to the tab Migrating to Australia - Migrating as a: Skilled Person ... then go to General Skilled Migration then look up the Skilled Occupation List (form 1121i)... choose the Skill that you want to apply for so you'll know the points, if that is in the SSASL (in demand skills) and the corresponding Assessing Authority - for example if you choose Computing Professionals - you'll have 60 points and a high demand skill and you need ACS to assess your skills first before proceeding with the DIMIA application... Once you have chosen the skill, go back to the DIMIA website (General
Skilled Migration) and choose the general skilled visa that you want - for us we chose Skilled - Independent (subclass 136) visa... you need to have 120 points to be able to lodge for this type of visa So you try to assess if you hit the 120-point mark.. once you're in the Choose a General Skilled MIgration Visa page, click on the Are you outside Australia? and look at the best Visa option... there you'll find the Validity requirements for the Skilled - Independent (subclass 136) visa

If you click on that, click on the See: Visa-specific requirements for the Skilled Independent (subclass 136) visa at the bottom of the page. It will lead you to the Self Assess your score in the points test.

Skills (60 points - if computing professional)
Age (20 points if 35 to 39 years)
English (20 points if IELTS score is 6 or more)
Specific work experience (10 points if you work 3-4 years in your nominated occupation)
Occupation in demand / job offer (addl 15 points if skill is in MODL - Computing Professional - specialising in CISSP, E-commerce security, network security, SAP or SIEBEL)

If you have assessed that you will pass the points test, visit the website of ACS to know the requirements for you to have your skills assessed. Once you receive the letter from ACS on skills assessment, that's the only time you file an application for australia immigration... hope this helps...
God bless,
joanna

Everything you need to know is in the website. Of course if helps to talk to other people who are interested. www.dimia.gov.au

Moving from Makati to Sydney

As a family, we decided to move to Sydney as we think it is best for our future. I start this blog for my sanity (hehehe), my friends who started to inquire how we did it, and mostly a way to keep everyone posted. Right now, this is not merged with my real blog as not a lot of people know that we are moving.

So here is hoping that this blog gets updated regularly.. hahaha. I am also posting some emails of those who have inquired.

I remain your brother and friend,
elmer