Today is ANZAC day - a holiday!
ang aking entry para sa LP #4"Hugis ay pahaba" (pun intended?)
Mahirap magbigay ng figure o budget na maaring maging basehan ng cost of living dito sa NZ. ang sapat kay pedro ay maaring kapos para kay juan, there are many things to consider.
ang aking entry para sa LP #3"Apat na Kanto"
ang aking entry para sa LP #2"Tatlo ang Sulok Ko"
wow! may CFC din dito - how nice naman.
Cancer victim Roderick Catuday couldn't hide his elation when the Herald broke the news to him that he had got the work permit he wanted - which qualifies him for the treatment he needs at Auckland City Hospital."I can't believe it," said the 42-year-old, who had just returned from a four-day hospital stay for a blood transfusion. "I have been praying so hard for this and I really thank God and all the people who have made it possible."
A spokesperson for the Department of Labour, which oversees Immigration, confirmed to the Herald yesterday that Mr Catuday had been granted a two-year work permit, which qualifies him for publicly funded chemotherapy.
Mr Catuday was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia while waiting for his work permit - which he qualified for - to be approved by Immigration New Zealand.
Doctors told him that without treatment, he would have only months to live.
But an email from his doctor to the authorities asking them to speed up the process because of the cancer backfired, and his application was rejected.
Since the Weekend Herald reported his plight, donors have contributed about $40,000 to help him get treated - but it was still not enough to meet the $150,000 he needed as a deposit for Auckland City Hospital.Only people with at least a two-year work permit, other than New Zealand and Australian citizens or residents, qualify for public health funding. (take note of this for future reference -kiwi.pino)
Mr Catuday said he had been spending his time in hospital writing a letter, which he has yet to complete, thanking everyone who has been helping him and his family during this difficult time, and had planned for the letter to be read "if something happened" to him.
"This is the best news I have had, and my next step is to go to the Auckland hospital to see when I can get my treatment started," he said.
Mr Catuday is the father to three children aged between 12 and 15 and is married to Emelita, 41, an accountant. The family came to New Zealand from the Philippines last September.
Social worker Agnes Granada, of the Migrant Action Trust, who is providing support for the Catuday family, could also hardly contain her joy when she rang the Herald with the news of Immigration New Zealand's decision yesterday.
"This is not just good news for the Catudays, but also good news for the whole Filipino community," Ms Granada said.
"I am really so happy and don't know how to thank everyone who has been helping the family."
read the previous newspaper article here.
you can also check salary brackets DITO - courtesy of HAYS (isang recruitment agency). ang susunod na tanong ay "kasya ba naman ang salary para mabuhay sa NZ?" - ang sagot ay abangan sa mga susunod na post.
whats wrong with this picture? cars are lined up on the wrong side of the road.
yup! thats the plane that would take me to NZ. before boarding the plane i already spent 12 hours in transit via bus, train and another flight.
lcd display graphic representation of our approach to Auckland Intl airport.
what a relief to finally exit that door.
first impression - looks like a domestic airport but sure is clean inside and out, also it felt provincial very provincial! 
