I woke up really early today – could not sleep well since I drank too much coffee from a night out with close friends. After tossing and turning several times in bed, I gave up and realized that the caffeine overload was enough to keep me awake for several days – aargh!

That was when I had a bright idea of downloading the phone applications of WordPress and Flickr. Hopefully, having these will give me less reason to not work on updating my site.

I’ve decided that the next few posts which I will make will focus on sharing photos of our lovely city, Brisbane. We’ve been living here for more than a year now and, so far, we have seen a lot of beautiful and interesting places. Of course, I know that there will be more exciting places to discover and I will share these to you as and when we find it.

Our city was built around the lovely Brisbane river, which zigzags across and divides the place between North and South. One of the most popular places to visit here is the South Bank, which is the cultural hub where most of the major museums and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) is located. Interestingly, this is also where most Brisbanites go when they want to relax, bask in the sun, enjoy some barbie while still have amazing views of the CBD.

Right beside QPAC is the Brisbane Wheel, which is a great way of seeing the city from above. Unfortunately, though, my family has yet to muster our fear of heights and conquer this one of these days.

One of my favorite features of this city park are the lovely walkways, which are covered by those year-long flowers-in-bloom.

The man made beach is, arguably, the highlight of this place. Even during winter, people flock here to enjoy a dip in the pool!

This beautiful artwork caught my daughter’s attention – this was just one of many in the whole park!

Of course, the best way to capture the spirit of the city is by riding the City Cat, which travels both streams of the mighty river.

The Story Bridge is definitely a city icon. Designed by the same person who did the world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, this lesser-known structure is equally as beautiful nonetheless (only half of the bridge is seen in the above photo).

Australia’s “New World City” – definitely one of the best places to live in this part of the world.

I definitely have more photos to share but will do this in my next post. Until then, have a great weekend!

“Freedom is not free.” It comes at a great cost.

To all the men and women who have unselfishly dedicated their lives to preserving freedom, we honour you all.

I realize it has been a very long while since my last post.  Somehow, I seem to have lost my drive to update my online journal these last few months - never mind the many “blog-worthy” events and experiences that have come our way since we moved Down Under…  

My absence, I guess, was mostly due to personal issues relating to my work situation, which I struggled to overcome. I tried miserably to take control of a difficult situation but this only led to one disappointment after another. Sadly, this depressing state prevented me from seeing the “brighter side” and from actually realizing how immensely blessed I am despite the setbacks that have come my way.

Thankfully, things have started to improve recently and, while I know that the best is yet to come, I believe that the only way for me to move forward and  be happy is to appreciate and count the many blessings I receive as they come. Hopefully, this renewed outlook will help me get through these trying times and inspire me to update this neglected journal more often. 

So, while I patiently wait for the Big Boss to unfold his masterplan for me and our family,  I want to celebrate my upcoming  1st year anniversary since hopping over here in trying hard true Aussie fashion -   by heading out to the coast and having some fun in the sun!

These photos were taken last weekend at Kings Beach in the Sunshine Coast, where we went for a short holiday during the children’s quarterly term break.

Try to check out our Facebook page for more photos of our recent vacation.  Hope to be able to share more stories with all of you soon.

A few weeks ago, we were very fortunate to be invited to a very special seventh birthday celebration of our friend’s daughter.  Unlike in the Philippines where themed-birthday celebrations can be “all-out” events with parents usually spending a fortune for photo-booths, magicians, mascots and other what-nots, the celebrations here in Australia are comparatively more subdued - often “Barbie-themed” for little girls and held at nearby parks where children can just run around and play. It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise for all of us when we found out that the party we were attending had an Ol’ MacDonald-theme complete with little barn animals to pet! 

This trailer looks pretty small but it has a pony, a cow, a pig and a few more cute and cuddly creatures inside.

We thought Marga would look great in plaid – to complete her cowfarmgirl look.

A little hesitation at first…

… but that didn’t last long – thanks to Pinky who bravely pretended to show them how it’s done!

Of all the creatures big and small, who’s your favorite one of all?

Luigi and Marga could not resist petting and feeding their new friends…

… while glamour boy, Rafael, found it more relaxing to be out of the fence and…

… in dear mummy’s arms!

Whether it was meeting new friends or enjoying the company of loved ones, it was definitely a fun day for all of us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s funny how it is when you pray so hard about something and – when God grants it – you are just left dumbfounded and unprepared for the next step. Well, that’s how I feel now. Somewhat grateful and lost at the same time.

It’s been a few months since I’ve been here in Brisbane and have been eagerly sending out my resumes to various companies so I can finally join the local workforce.  Admittedly, the process has personally been a very humbling experience – with so much disappointment along the way.  I initially started with a lot of eagerness and confidence but these slowly faded away as the months passed and as the rejection letters came in one after the other.  

After a few weeks of self-doubt, depression and fear of an uncertain future, I realized that I just needed to give God enough time to work out his plan for us while I enjoy the free time I had with my family – after all, not everyone is given the opportunity to relax at home and do as one pleases.

Little did we know, however, that Divine Providence was working overtime and that our “pseudo-holiday” would be so short-lived. The week Pinky and I finally decided to resume our job hunt, I immediately landed an offer – a temporary one, though, but one which I hope will eventually allow me to put my proverbial “foot in the door” to help jumpstart my career. 

Admittedly, being offered a job in an industry that is so different from what I’m used to plus the “sudden” changes in our family’s routine threw us all off our seats and made me somewhat go on the deep end for a while.

Now, I still remain anxious about the changes that are happening in our lives - mostly due to the toxic nature of my new job – but remain comforted by the knowledge that God is (and has always been) with us in this journey.

Blessings abound and, though sometimes they come in packaging quite unfamiliar to us and totally unexpected,  they remain blessings and we should still be thankful.

The next few days and weeks – or months – will definitely be stressful for us but we remain strong in our faith that – God willing - things will eventually fall in their proper order and all will be a meaningful whole again.

As for now, I leave you with a brief introduction to our new friend, “Babe”, whom we met in the park recently.  He and his friends were so adorable our children instantly fell in love with them.  Thank goodness, though, none of them thought of bringing them to home as pets cause that would be a nightmare!  

Anyway, more of our friends in my next post.  Until then, have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Queenslanders started the year on the wrong foot specially with the recent flooding which affected most of the state, including its capital – Brisbane.  Even though our family was fortunately spared from the trauma caused by this calamity -  our home being situated on higher ground and, thus, far from the flood waters coming from the Brisbane River – we remain shocked and in complete disbelief that things like this happen even in this part of the world.  Watching the constant news coverages about the flooding and our own personal experience of helping a friend whose house was sadly inundated by flood water made me realize how my own personal frustrations of having to look for that elusive job offer pales in comparison to the loss of life and property which other people had to sadly live through.  

Thankfully, it is during these trying times when you learn to appreciate the strength of human character.  Inspite of all the hardships, our city is back on its feet and on the road to recovery.  So many things were unfortunately damaged by the floods and it will take a while before the beauty of Brisbane shines through again… but it will happen. As for now, life goes on and we must rebuild.

~~ o O o ~~

One of the highlights for us last month was the smooth transition of our children to their new school, which finally opened a few weeks ago. 

 

Our children – who have technically been on a very long summer vacation since July of last year – were very much excited to use their new bags and uniforms and go to their newly-built school.

Springfield Central’s school’s motto is “raise the bar,” which I guess is very appropriate as it distinguishes itself as being one of the technologically advanced schools in state of Queensland.

 Hopefully, our children will help the school achieve its target soon.

 

The primary campus is new and much of it is still being constructed. However, the completion of the initial stages, though, should be over soon - weather-permitting, of course!

 

Although our family is still in the process of ticking-out more items from our “to-do list”, we are very thankful that God has allowed us to slowly integrate into our new hometown.  We remain hopeful that, soon, all will be in order. 

Everything happens in His own perfect time.

 

 

Finally, my family arrived a little more than a week ago and I must admit that my life here in Brisbane immediately turned 180 degrees for the better, not that it was bad to start with, though. 

The past few days have been very exciting for all of us specially with all the unexpected blessings that have been coming our way.  God is truly amazing and our whole family can only revel in awe at how He has worked to make our transition to our new home as smooth and as quickly as possible.  Of course, we have still a lot to look forward to in the coming year but that is what makes this whole process so exciting for all of us. Just faithfully waiting in anticipation for God to reveal to us all those pleasant surprises is definitely worth it – somewhat like a child eagerly awaiting for Christmas to open all his presents.

Our exciting family journey has “officially” begun and, while the road ahead mostly remains unknown to us, we continue to believe that God will navigate us through this winding path and help us avoid those crossroads and little bumps on the way.  He has done this before and we know that He will do it again for our family.

Anyway, since our internet connection at home remains unreliable at the moment, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best this Chistmas season.  On behalf of the “Oz Sys” – as my wife aptly puts it – may you all experience a very blessed season of love with your families and may the new year only be filled with God’s choicest blessings the whole year round.

 

 

 

 

 

If there is one thing which I think I need to get used to here in Australia, it must be the inescapable fact that I need to do mostly everything by myself.  Yes, do-it-yourself (D.I.Y.) projects – like installing your own furniture, painting the walls, fixing the electricals and plumbing – are the ”in” things here.

And for a guy like me who, to put it mildly, is very “un-Handy-Man-ly”  – this can be a real nightmare! In fairness, though, it’s not like I don’t even try.  It’s just that my frustration easily gets the best of me whenever I do my darnest best and yet the faucet still leaks or the electrical ballast still doesn’t work even after I supposedly fixed them already.

Anyway, I bought some basic pieces of furniture over the past few weeks and installed them through the help of our more “vocationally-adept” relative, Donnie, who was kind enough to assist me (read: do most of the hard stuff) so I can get settled in our house immediately.  If not for him and his supportive wife, Carrie, I’m sure most of the items I bought would still be boxed-up in the garage.

I’m sure there will be more of these projects in the near future and I am hoping that – once I get the hang of it (and once I have all the necessary, ahem,  “tools of the trade”) – I will be able to eventually complete the projects myself (or at least, with minimal support coming from other people).  In the meantime, please indulge me as I brag about our recent D.I.Y. accomplishments…

For our boys, their room will each have a Japanese-themed single-bed with matching work desk, bookshelf and drawer.  To differentiate the rooms, though, our “tween-agers” will each have either a red-black  or silver-black color-schemed desk lamp, trash bin and chair.

Our daughter, on the other hand, will have her own “pretty-in-pink” study desk and chair…

… and a similar Japanese-themed double bed – which we thought will be perfect – in case some of our friends and relatives decide to visit us in the future.

Since most of our remaining furniture are still awaiting shipment from Manila, we decided to buy a few bar stools which the children can eventually use when they have their morning ”brekkie.”

I am pleased to say that our house is slowly starting to shape up and – in less than a month from now - Pinky and the kids will be here to finally make it into a real home! I am obviously thrilled with this development and am really looking forward to that day when our family will be reunited again and we can finally start our Aussie adventures together.  Until then… more handy man projects await

Today marks my first month here in Brisbane and, even though my daily routine has admittedly become more predictable nowadays, I still try to keep a positive outlook that things will get better for us soon.  So, as much as I would like to vent out my frustration again with my job hunting ordeal, I will refrain from doing so since I know Someone up there is currently working on something for me and I just have to wait patiently for Him to finish.

Anyway, I decided to go to a local salon the other day to get a much-needed trim.  I knew beforehand that a simple men’s cut here costs anywhere between $25-$28.  With this in mind – even though this price was easily ten times more than what I would normally have paid for in Manila - it wasn’t so much of a shock to me anymore when the lady who did my hair named the price of the haircut.

What’s disappointing, though, is how the “hair specialist(?)” performed her task  - she was extremely bored and seemed super disinterested in what she was doing.  It was as if someone just forced her to go into the hairstyling business out of necessity, which, judging from her actions, could have actually been the case!

Needless to say, her lack of passion reflected on her work and my hair – sadly – is even in a much worse condition now than before we started. Had I known that I would arrive at this “sorry state”, I would have just gone directly to Fleet street and asked Sweeney Todd to  strut his stuff on me… Anyway, the end result would have been the same – disastrous!  Thankfully, my hair (and I am hoping, the rest of me, too ) is resilient to adversity and - with just a few touches of gel here and there – can spring back to life in no time.

Okay, I can’t believe I’m blogging about my hair.  This. Is. Bad.  Hopefully, I will have more interesting stories to share with you next time.  Until then.

(Photo taken from www.fanpop.com)

 

 

 

 

It’s my third week here in Brisbane and all the basic appliances and furniture that we need for our house have been delivered and installed.  I know I should be thankful but, somehow, the anxiety of still not being able to find a suitable job that is aligned with my skill set (and that can eventually sustain our family’s needs) is seriously starting to worry me.

I met some agents a few weeks ago but, so far, they have not yet been able to provide any good opportunities for me – even though the job market here is supposedly picking-up.  One factor seems to be working against me – and other new migrants, I assume - the so-called ”lack of local experience”.  Ironically, though, the only way for you to obtain this requirement is to land a job and experience how it is to work firsthand for a local corporation… so you see now that I seem to be in a “chicken-and-egg” rut here?   

Anyway, despite the occasional moments of fear and doubt, I try very hard to maintain a more positive outlook and believe that God will help us again get through these minor bumps on the road. Everything happens in His own time and I believe this is just not yet the right moment for me.  

As for now, I have decided to focus all my energy on polishing my driving skills so I can obtain my local license as soon as possible. Once I get through that hurdle, my next objective is to buy our car. Exciting! 

So, to all of you out there, I suggest you strap your seatbelts and get ready as I rev up our engine and bring this Australian adventure to a whole new level. Wish me the best of luck  – better yet, continue praying for our family’s intentions – and I hope you all enjoy the ride!

(Photo taken from www.zercustoms.com)