Mga Dapat Tandaan Kapag Nagpalit ng Address sa NZ

Kung bago kang migrant sa NZ, isa sa mga bagay na siguradong kakailanganin mong gawin ay ang maglipat ng bahay na tinutuluyan. It’s not uncommon for new migrants to change their addresses 3 to 5 times in two years. Siempre dahil sa umpisa hindi mo pa talaga alam kung saan ka mag-tratrabaho, kung saan ang magagandang eskwelahan, o kung saan ang magagandang neighborhood at mura ang rent kaya normal lang na magpalipat-lipat ka ng tirahan.

When you change your address, there are a few things thing you should always if you want to prevent your mails from being lost. Dahil kung hindi, sa luma mong address idi-deliver ng postman ang mga sulat mo at eventually baka mawala ang mga ito. Papaano kung importante ang sulat? Mga bills, sulat galing sa mga inaplayan mo ng work, o baka pre-approved credit cards, o kaya sulat galing sa wisheart mo. Kaya, importante na huwag mong kaligtaan gawin ang mga sumusunod na ito.

• Mga isang linggo bago ka pa lumipat sa bago mong address, pumunta ka na sa pinakamalapit na branch ng NZ Post, and ask for a “Change of Address Request”. Fill up mo lang ang form na ito para sabihin sa kanila ang bago mong address. NZ Post will then redirect your mails to your new address for two months free.
  
  
• Sa NZ Post pa rin, humingi ka ng “Change of Address” cards. Parang post cards lang ito at walang bayad ito. Humingi ka kahit ilan, say 20 pieces. Tapos you send one card each to your friends, relatives and business connections to inform them of your new address. You can send these cards to local or overseas recepients, all for FREE (no stamps required). Lahat ng kilala mo (maliban sa mga kaaway at mga pinagkakautangan mo, hehe) kahit nasa abroad padalhan mo. Huwag mong kakalimutan bigyan ang iyong bank, insurance, Inland Revenue (IRD), Land Transport and Safety Authority (LTSA), telephone and power companies.

• If you think, it’s too much hassle to fill up cards, pwede rin gawin ito online sa internet. Just go to http://www.changemyaddress.co.nz/ then there you can enter your details and select the organisations you want to notify.

• Minsan may mga organisations na nakakaligtaan pa rin palitan ang iyong address sa kanilang mga computer system kahit pinadalhan mo na ng cards. So it is still important to give them a call if you feel their mails are too important to be misplaced. Halimbawa ang mga banks, insurance company, LTSA at IRD. Mas maganda nang tawagan pa rin sila para right then and there mapalitan nila ang details mo sa kanilang computer system.

Do the above and you won’t lose any of your mails.

"If one's words are not better than silence, one should keep silent."

Yan ang advice ni Grasshopper kaya naman medyo silencio ako nitong mga huling araw.

Kaya lang papaano kung may gusto kang sabihin pero hindi mo naman ito pwedeng i-publish sa blog mo for personal reasons? Has it ever occurred to anyone here where you had an issue you want to write about but were afraid to post it in your blog? What were your reasons? Takot ka bang malaman ito ng buong mundo?

O sige na nga. I’ll stop beating around the bush. Aaminin ko na ang katotohanan kahit nakakahiya at ikasisira ng aking image.

Nandaya ako. Niloko ko kayo. Kaya sa 2010, bababa na ako sa pwesto ko. - gma

22 Questions

Ghie, thanks for the tag. Eto ang mga answers ko sa mga questions mo.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:10 AM
2. Are you a morning person or night owl? Morning person
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Return of the King
4. What is your favorite TV show? Nothing in particular
5. What did you have for breakfast? Toast with peanut butter and jam
6. What is your middle name? “Gorgeous”
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Thai and anything spicy
8. What foods do you dislike? Pasta with white sauce
9. Favorite day of the week? Fridays
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps
11. What is your favorite sandwich? Burger
12. What characteristics do you despise? Self-centered, inconsiderate, arrogant
13. What do you do most often when you are bored? Blog, Blog-hop, play basketball
14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Philippines, US/Canada, Rome
15. Favorite brand of clothing? Levis
16. Where were you born? Manila
17. What is your best childhood memory? First crush, First dance, First kiss
18. Do you have pets? A Rabbit and a Budgie
19. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? Sa weekend, tatama ako ng lotto
20. What did you want to be when you were little? Scientist
21. Different jobs you have had in your life? Teacher, Tutor, Research Engineer, Programmer
22. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Egg

My Beatle

Among Beatles fans, madalas mapagtalunan kung sino raw ba ang mas magaling si John ba o si Paul? Kaninong mga kanta ba ang mas sumikat? Yun bang mga sinulat ni John o yung kay Paul? Technically, wala yatang sagot dito. Kasi lahat ng kantang composed ni John at Paul nung magkasama pa sila, Lennon-McCartney ang nakalagay na writers. Ewan ko nasa kontrata yata nila yon.

Kung ako naman ang tatanungin. Wala sa dalawa ang favourite ko. Mas nagustuhan ko kasi si George Harrison, yung tinaguriang “the Silent Beatle”. Mas kakaunti ang mga kantang sumikat ni George pero yung mga sumikat niya, talagang kakaiba ang dating sa akin.

Nanindig ang balahibo ko nung una kong marinig ang solo guitar sa “While my Guitar Gently Weeps”. It was magical.

I look at the world and I notice it's turning
While my guitar gently weeps
With every mistake we must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps

Kapag naman naririnig ko itong susunod na kantang ito, sumasaya ang aking umaga. Very optimistic ang dating. Para bang sinasabi nito na “it’s a new day, be happy, you’re alive”

Here comes the sun (Du du du du)
Here comes the sun
And I say
It's alright

At kapag nagagalit naman si esmi, pinapatugtog ko ito sa aking isipan, hoping na nababasa niya ang aking iniisip.

Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me

You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick around and it may show
I don't know, I don't know

And when things go wrong in the world and everywhere I see bitterness and negativity and fighting, how I wished people would stop and think seriously at what George had to say.

Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life
Keep me free from birth
Give me hope
Help me cope, with this heavy load
Trying to, touch and reach you with,
heart and soul

And finally when I’m lost for words and don’t know what to say to my Creator, George helps me find the right words.

My sweet lord
Hm, my lord
My sweet lord

I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you lord
But it takes so long, my lord

Thank you George. Bye George.

George Harrison – Born Feb 25, 1943. He died in Los Angeles on November 29, 2001 aged 58.

Destroying Someone's Good Name

Recently it has come to my attention that someone has been visiting someone’s blog and leaving mean comments then signing up as KU. Fortunately, the owner of the blog didn’t believe those comments came from me and simply deleted them.

Talk about Internet Trolls, Stolen Identities, Ghost Writers, high-tech hacking, etc, but the reality is that for one to tarnish someone else’s name he/she only needs to leave nasty comments or intriguing ones all over the blogosphere signing up the person’s name he/she wants to destroy. Nothing high-tech in this.

I remember a superhero movie (but can't recall which one), where the villain dressed up as the hero did evil acts in order to turn the people against the good guy. Sadly, I think this might be happening more often than we’re aware of in the Blogosphere.

What can we do to counter these malicious acts? If you’re using Blogger, see to it that you are logged in to blogger when leaving comments. This way any comments you leave will contain a link to your blogger profile. Therefore, any comment that does not link back to your profile could be regarded as spurious. And any person receiving un-linked comments should be careful in making judgements against the commentor.

One thing these impostors overlook is the fact that other bloggers are smart enough to see through the deception. Because cons often assume that they are smarter than others they think that they can willy-nilly manipulate other people’s thoughts. What they fail to see is that even the dumbest burglar who comes to a house, steal stuff, trash the place, wouldn't sign his/her name on the way out. Surely, if these impostors are really smart, then they would simply stop all vicious activities and instead channel their creative energies into more productive undertakings.

Reminds me of what someone said about a “perfect crime”. That there is no one wise enough to execute a perfect crime. Because if they are truly wise, then they would not have done the crime in the first place. Peace to all. 39 days to go before Christmas. Let's be merry.

Life is just a phase you're going through...you'll get over it.

I started blogging December last year. Malapit na pala ang 1^st anniversary ng blog na ito. Binilang ko lahat ng posts ko. Aba 164 na pala. Between the months of March to June 2005 was when I was most prolific, averaging 22 posts per month or 5 posts per week. Then from July to October, nag-taper off to around 4 per week, then 3 per week and now to about 2 per week.

I guess my interest in blogging is waning off. Or siguro dahil wala na akong maikwento. Naubusan na siguro ako ng kuro-kuro. Or maybe I’m just going through a certain phase in a blogger’s life. So far I've experienced a number of varied emotional phases during the short time I've been blogging. Ano-ano ba ang mga phases na ito? Eto basahin niyo. See if you yourself have gone through any of these phases.

Dear Diary Phase
During this phase, unsure pa ako kung kaya kong magsulat, kaya ang mga topics ko were mostly intended for myself alone. Walang particular audience. Ang aim ko sa pagsusulat para lang i-put into writing ang mga experiences ko, views, core beliefs and opinions about certain things in life.

Being Appreciated Phase
May mga taong bumibisita na sa blog ko during this phase. Nakakatanggap ako ng mga comments na nakakataba ng puso at akin naman ikinatuwa. Sa phase na ito una kong na-realize na hindi na pansarili ang mga sinusulat ko, may audience na pala ako.

Intercourse Phase
Dito sa yugtong ito, I discovered the joy of intercourse. Hindi po sex ang ibig kong sabihin, kundi yung interaction with other bloggers. They visit my blog and they leave comments, tapos ako din I reciprocate. Pinaligaya nila ako, ako rin pinaligaya ko rin sila. Hehehe. During this phase, nagbago ang istilo ng aking pagsusulat dahil alam kong may audience na ako. Instead of writing for myself I was writing for others. My main purpose was to to move them, to make them laugh, to elicit reaction and feedback from them. And the more people I have intercourse with, the more satisfied I become.

Addicted to Blogging Phase
Most times of the day and night preoccupied ang isip ko kung ano ang susunod kong post. Lahat ng links ko sa ibang bloggers I see to it na pinapasyalan ko at nag-iiwan ako ng comments. Na-ha-high ako dahil sa dami ng nakaka-intercourse ko. Manyakis ako! Pag-gising sa umaga blog kaagad ang pinupuntahan, sa opisina ganun din at pagdating sa bahay blog pa rin hanggang bago matulog. Pati missis ko nakalimutan ko na dahil feeling ko kakaiba ang enjoyment sa blogging. During this phase I felt compelled to write kasi feeling ko parang may responsibilidad ako sa aking mga mambabasa. Kailangan ko silang aliwin, paligayahin. It’s also during this phase that I thought of the blogging world as utopic.

Lost of Innocence Phase
Nung una lahat gusto kong ka-intercourse, walang pinipili. Then unpleasant things happen and opened my eyes na meron palang ibang bloggers na hindi dapat kinakama. I realized that the blogosphere is not a perfect universe after all and in fact it is but a reflection of the real world. Parang promiscuous sex din pala. Sa umpisa masarap and you think you are invincible at hindi ka tatamaan ng anumang sakit. Then all of a sudden you feel sick. Ganun din pala sa blogging. Sa phase na ito umpisa nang nabawasan ang interest ko sa blogging, dahil hindi pala lahat masaya dito. May lungkot din pala.

Enlightenment Phase
Naligaw ako ng landas. Akala ko ang blogging ang magbibigay sa akin ng tunay na kasiyahan, fulfillment at purpose sa buhay. Hindi pala. Napagmuni-muni ko na napabayaan ko pala ang aking mga mahal sa buhay. Physically kasama ko sila, pero mentally nasa cyberspace ang aking diwa. Ngayon alam ko na. Blogging should just be a hobby. Pasttime lang. Dito sa phase na ito natutunan ko nang i-detach emotionally ang sarili ko sa mga nangyayari sa blogosphere and I don't feel compelled to write anymore. Dahil gaano man kadami ang mga naging kaibigan ko sa blogging, the fact remains, we hardly know each other, and that it’s still my family that’s more important and will always remain dear to me.

Ano naman kaya ang susunod na phase? Or is it just cyclical? O baka Terminal Phase na? O baka naman nagme-menopause na ako?

"Attitude is the way you mentally look at the world around you. It is how you view your environment and your future."

It was a normal Friday afternoon rush hour traffic and Bill was driving on his way home from the office. He was patiently waiting for the traffic lights to turn to green when the car, a white sedan, behind him started incessantly sounding it's horn. He sensed that the driver of the white car wanted to overtake him. Annoyed by the driver's impatience, he thought of giving this driver a lesson. The white car moved beside his car to make an overtake maneuvering move. But instead of allowing the driver to complete the maneuver, Bill sped up to be slightly ahead of the white sedan. And for a few seconds they were in a sprint race. Neither driver wanting to give in.

Then the inevitable happened. An on-coming vehicle directly in front of the white sedan came into view. The driver of the white sedan had no choice but to step on the brakes and let Bill go first. But it was a bit too late. Bill heard a crash. The on-coming vehicle clipped the side of the white sedan. Bill slowed down to look at his rear view mirror. Both drivers from the colliding vehicles look okay as they got off from their vehicles seemingly free of any bodily injury. Feeling a sense of victory, Bill couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. “That will teach that lunatic a lesson. He deserves it” he told himself.

A few more minutes and he was in front of his house. As he was opening the garage he saw Virginia, his wife, rushing towards him. She was trembling and her hands drenched in blood. “It’s Jenny” she said. In between sobs, Virginia tried to tell Bill what happened. “She… she… was just playing in the tree house….. Then…. I heard a noise… when I turned around ….Jenny was lying on the ground and then I saw blood ...Called Dr. Peters, and ambulance…”

Upon seeing Jenny’s limp body, all Bill could do was let loose a loud whimper. Tears flowing down his cheeks, he knelt and held his daughter’s lifeless body close to him. Within minutes Dr. Peters came in and examined Jenny. “I’m sorry…It’s too late, there’s nothing else I can do…. Her head must have hit this rock lying on the ground…” uttered the doctor. “An ambulance should be here shortly. Can’t stay any longer as I have to rush to another emergency” he said as he ran towards his car….. a white sedan with fresh collision damages on its side.

"The belief that one's own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions" - Paul Watzlawick

Words of Wisdom

The greatest asset.......Faith
The greatest Joy...............Giving
The most beautiful attire......SMILE!
The deadliest weapon.........The tongue
The most destructive habit..........Worry
The worst thing to be without........ Hope
The most powerful force in life.........Love
The greatest loss.......Loss of self-respect
The most prized possession.........Integrity
The most worthless emotion.........Self-pity
The most dangerous pariah.........A gossiper
The greatest problem to overcome........Fear
The most contagious spirit.........Enthusiasm
The ugliest personality trait.........Selfishness
The two most power-filled words..........I Can
The most satisfying work........Helping others
Our greatest natural resource..........Our youth
The most crippling failure disease.........Excuses
The most effective sleeping pill........Peace of mind
The greatest “shot in the arm”.........Encouragement
The most endangered species.........Dedicated leaders
The world's most incredible computer...........The brain
The most powerful channel of communication.........Prayer

author: unknown