Since we came to Oz, I’ve mostly treated the places where we’ve stayed just for what they stood for… a roof under our heads. We’ve tried to get it as comfortable as much as possible and getting our basic necessities in place. Not much more. And mostly that’s all we can afford it to be.

I thought about a few months ago that we were actually settled into life in Melbourne. That’s if I thought about the daily grind, of getting used to work and school for the kids, and generally fitting in the Aussie local culture. But now it seems that we’re only starting. All this came to mind when we signed a new lease yesterday for a different house we’ll be moving into in two weeks.

The house is a lot bigger and definitely has a lot more room. My sister-in-law and her family is just around the corner. And more importantly, it is in a very nice private area. Although we will loose the convenience of being close to the train station, I think that staying in a house we really like and enjoying being in it is more important (especially during the weekends).

Life will change a bit when we do so (and more when Dad leaves for home). But I think that living in this new house will make us all the more feel settled and enjoy our life down under. I’m really thankful that events just keep happening that enable us to live our life more fully. Like me getting my driver’s license, getting approved for a new car and getting approved for this new lease. You know, simple stuff that allow you to move around more.

Now, all I can think of is decorating the place. (Ikea, here I come!) Also, we can have an extra room for guests! All my friends and relatives who keep saying they’ll schedule a trip to Oz sometime in the near future are now very welcome to stay with us. Come one, come all!

Jam and I can be worlds apart sometimes. They say it’s the differences between two people in a relationship that makes it exciting at times. There are, however, those things you wished you both loved and those things you wish you could share with the other. One of those things is my love for the arts… particularly plays, i.e., Broadway Musicals. My experience with them up to this point is just all “wonder” and now that I actually live in a city where they come and shows are an abundance and actually affordable… I can’t watch. Even if I can literally, there’s really no joy in watching it all by yourself and talking to yourself about how good the show was (because Jam simply doesn’t want to be tagged along!). So I guess that means I’d have to wait till Danica (and then Denise) grows up a little more and I’ll have my girls to enjoy with me…

It’s such a shame because Chicago is in town.

From http://www.chicagothemusical.com.au/about.html,

A true New York City institution, CHICAGO has everything that makes Broadway great: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz; one show-stopping-song after another; and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen.

No wonder CHICAGO has been honored with 6 Tony Awards®, 2 Olivier Awards®, a Grammy® and thousands of standing ovations.

It’s also no surprise that CHICAGO has wowed audiences all around the world, from Mexico City to Moscow, from Sao Paulo to South Africa.

Whether you’re looking for your first Broadway musical, whether you’ve seen the Academy Award®-winning film and want to experience the show live on stage or whether you’ve seen it before and want to recapture the magic, CHICAGO always delivers.

My first time on real snow is something I know I have to put down in words, no matter that more than a month has passed. Though the feeling ain’t so fresh anymore and the holiday fever has been trampled upon by work during the weeks afterward, reliving our day at Mt Buller is still a favorite past-time. We allotted one whole day up at the “mountain” thinking that it was going to be enough… more precisely, buong araw kami magsasawa sa yelo. We realized how seriously wrong we were after.

The day started with getting our snow gear (i.e., snow boots, ski boots and skis) and booking our lessons. I was determined to get the whole family skiing, or rather, learning to ski. Even kids as early as 3 yr old can get ski lessons! So I turned a blind eye on how much it all cost and set ourselves to enjoying the whole day on the snow.

It was a real snow day… very overcast with snow fall at various times during the day and just about 50% visibility. You can hardly see a few meters away! And it was in these conditions that we first trudged up the snow to our ski lessons. OMG, I couldn’t believe how heavy those ski boots and skis were! Walking on snow was like walking on the beach, too. The skis were made of bare/hard metal and I had to carry Denise’s skis on top of mine. (And did you know that you can get a constant tulo-uhog because of the cold (TMI!), hehe!)

BUT… I was still determined as the kids were, though it was especially hard for me because I was just coming out of the flu and didn’t have as much strength to get active and combat the cold. Jam and I were in the same ski lesson, Dru and Danica were together for theirs, and Ruis and Denise with the Bunyips. Dad took pictures of everyone, Joy looked after the little ones and Nico went on a snowboard lesson.  It wasn’t long before we were sliding down Bourke Street and doing a “Pizza” (snow plow/breaking). But my gawd, I can’t remember how many times I fell! My balance was really off that day and I relied heavily on my ski poles. And as safety is the number one rule, I made myself fall during the times I couldn’t break early to make sure I didn’t hit anyone. I couldn’t believe how the young kids were doing it since they didn’t have their own ski poles (they were still too small for them!) and how fast they learned. They made it look so easy.

By the time the skis got really heavy for us and we were just plain tired, we went for the toboggan runs. That’s when you slide down the hill riding on a toboggan. Now, that was really fun! Even if the kids were really tired from the skiing, nothing can deter them from going back up the hill and sliding down again and going back up the hill again and so on. I even got to ride with Denise on a toboggan and it was so much fun… sort of like a bonding moment for us! We made Dad try it too. Despite the cold and the snow, Danica and Dru were even rolling down the hill by themselves. Mga pasaway talaga! We forgot to do one thing though… make angels on the snow!

It was a day of firsts and a lot of things learned. Now we know what to do next, mostly in the logistics part of it, so we can make better use of our time, energy and resources. There’s just too many people on a Saturday! I do hope that when we get to go next that we’ll get to have great weather and be able to explore the mountain more and get to ski more!

With the daily grind of life and in the challenges of being a parent, sometimes you feel like you’re not doing it right. I have my own share of daily frustrations which are not really a big deal but when they keep on happening, it just bogs me down. But with recent events, I’m glad to realize that I, or rather, we (Jam & I) are probably doing a few things right in raising the girls.

Denise just had her interview with the school she’s going to next year (which is the same school as where Danica is in right now). Given that she already attended another (more stringent) interview in Sydney last year, we knew she’d pass this one with flying colors.  She is also a year older now and with that, I believe, she is more emotionally stable and more suited for Pre-school.

During the interview, the Principal and Vice-Principal spoke to me and Jam for most of the time while Denise did what she liked with the crayons, pencils and paper. They asked her a few questions now and then but it was really more of an adult conversation to get to know us. Since Danica was already in their school, we also talked about how we see the school so far and how it has been for Danica.

Needless to say, the “interview” went well. Though it wasn’t a first time for us, what made it a good day for me was the fact that the Principal said that it seems we are doing something right as parents. Denise was a very good girl the whole time and stuck to what she was asked to do. She showed enthusiasm in going to school and did not shy away at all from the principals (which she usually does when meeting new people). They were very impressed in the level of detail in her drawing and the fact that she can write her own name very neatly. Aside from Denise, they see Danica as a very good student in their school as well. The Vice Principal says that she saw her quiet but “quietly confident”.

Danica’s performance in school was affirmed all the more during the parent-teacher interview I had with her class adviser. Her school report was very promising (with Above Average in Reading, Writing and Comprehension) but hearing good things from her teacher was truly rewarding. He says that Danica is a very happy student. Her efforts in class are very consistent and she really does her best.

I guess all that gives me the assurance I need and the perseverance to not let the little things get in the way. I’ve got two sweet loving daughters… what more can I ask for?

(Leave me a comment if you got a bit confused with why there were lots of interviews for Denise and how the school system works here in Australia.)

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