25 August 2009

The end of Winter

September ushers in the start of Spring in this part of the world. And what that means is... we have survived our first winter ever! Well, it's not over yet til either the fat lady sings or the first day of September rolls in, but we're in pretty good shape, considering we were imagining lots of scenarios that turned out to be grossly exaggerated.

For example, we thought we would be freezing, even inside our home. And it wasn't. Sure, our electricity bill increased (but no more than 20% I think) because we used heaters but we managed by simply moving our small comforts such as the TV and computer into our bedroom so we didn't have to turn on heaters at the living room.

We also thought we'd be getting sick all the time, but we didn't, even with the swine flu outbreak here in Wellington. Thank goodness for that. Well, Jo-Lo managed to get the chills this last week of winter and we had him checked at the doctor and we were told it was a viral infection which we have to let it run its course, helped with some medicines to soothe discomforts. But overall, we turned out just fine.

And what, besides September, made me realize that Spring is finally here? Plants that were sleeping the winter away have finally woken up and started displaying an array of colours. Take a look at these beauties, for example, taken from our own backyard! I never knew we had these around until they started showing up.

We have daffodils! Beautiful flowers.



From afar, these look like little bells swaying with the wind. Delicate whites.
Smaller versions of the daffodils. I wonder what these are called.
Oh, this one is from our neighbor's. The plant itself looks like Agapanthus but instead of the purple flowers, these come up. Rather bizarre in a pretty sort of way.


I have started plowing our little plot of land for veggies. I have not been in the area these past few months and when I took a visit last Sunday, it was overgrown with weed! My were they so busy! But I have started pulling out the weeds and will commence planting next weekend some veggies and flowering plants! The weekend gardener is back!


18 August 2009

Revisiting the Old Coach Road Heritage Trail

Oftentimes, it's the unplanned trips that gets realized. And that's exactly what happened last weekend. Our friend Jerry said that his wife and kids were meeting up with a friend for the afternoon, and we just had this idea to go tramp at the Old Coach Road Heritage Trail which Jo-Lo and I went to some months ago. He had seen the photos in this blog and he had also been wanting to see the rolling hills for himself. So off we tramped!
But rather than staying on just the first peak we decided to traverse part of the trek, it being a nice day and all (although it was a bit cloudy, with a hint of impending rain.)
See the winding trail below? That's the path we took. Interestingly, we met a few folks running about. There were even kids doing a marathon with a coach!

This sight greeted us at one turn. It was an amazing sight! Hope I can have a proper camera soon.
At some point, the trail led to a grove of trees. It was surreal. One moment it was all bright, and then the canopy of trees dimmed the surroundings a bit, with a light-greenish glow around as the light got filtered through the leaves.




And before we knew it, we were at the end of the trail! We actually detoured into one of the arteries because it was starting to drizzle. But we had an enjoyable walk (it only took about an hour!) that we have decided to return and complete the rest of the trail soon!


11 August 2009

Johnsonville Family Gala

Fun for the family at the Johnsonville Community Centre!

15 August 2009 | 10:00AM - 1:00PM

Gold coin door entry

Bouncy castle
Old McDonald's petting zoo
Doodle bus
Balloon workshop
Home-baked goodies
Great raffle prizes
Cool craft stalls
Pre-loved children's books
and more

07 August 2009

New Zealand Diversity Forum 2009

Are you a migrant who have become redundant?

Having trouble on your renewal of work permit?

Are you aware of recent changes in policies of the Immigration Department?

What are the prospects for migrants in light of ‘Kiwi first’ policy and removal of more than 40 jobs in the immediate and long term skills shortage?


Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand

invites you to New Zealand Diversity Forum 2009

“Wellington Migrants Speak Out: Migrant Workers, Work and Recession”

Sunday, 23 August 2009
1:00 to 3:30pm
Venue: Te Papa

To register early please contact the following persons:

Rod Prosser 0210744992
Alice Javellana 0211798979 or
Email: migrante_nz@yahoo.co.nz

New Zealand Diversity Forum is a yearly activity of the Human Rights Commission

03 August 2009

How Cory made a cameraman feel he mattered

Read an article from Inquirer.net which tells a story of how Cory Aquino made a difference even to people who worked with her. A touching story that exemplifies how our public servants ought to be.

01 August 2009

Cory! Cory!

Today I join the rest of the Filipino people in mourning for the loss of one of our iconic personalities in history: Corazon Aquino. She has succumbed to cancer; she was 76.

I will always remember her as that lady in yellow that dared defy 20 years of dictatorship. To the youth of those days, she represented change. But being so far from the action in Manila (we were high school students in Baguio then), my friends and siblings thought of it as a fun diversion to wear yellow and flash the L sign. Later on, the significance of Cory Aquino in Philippine history became apparent to us as she became the first ever lady President of the Philippines, and she did so with the landmark ousting of a dictator.

It was one of those rare moments that tell us Filipinos can be great, if only we get our act together. Thank you, Tita Cory.

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