ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
VietnamMagic Jack
I love the magic jack. with my new home phone and cell phone configuration, it saves me over $75 a month.

If the user does not have good internet service, the magic jack won't be of much use. I sent one to my fiance when she was in the Philippines. Her internet service was terrible. She didn't have a huge problem understanding me, but I could almost never understand what she was saying.

If you do get one, I suggest you play with the settings. I found that my results were better when I changed the settings to the "3G" selection, rather than the "Hi-speed".

I would also suggest that if you're a frequent multi tasking computer user or if you are easily annoyed with being disturbed while using your computer to get a dedicated computer for the magic jack. I found that I had hung up on ringing incoming calls while i was typing on the keyboard...or when my fiance is done making a phone call, my computer game is interupted from the magicjack pop-up screen.

you will save enough money with it to be able to afford a dedicated computer....even a nettop computer only costs $200 new...

likely my next purchase if i can't find an old laptop to do the job.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-02-23 15:38:00
CanadaCost to bring my vehicle to Canada?
it would depend on where it is now.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-06-05 10:10:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHow long for changing conditions for GC renewal
Besides not having any documentation as a receipt for being up to date with her getting a new GC, I feel like this may pose a problem with her entering back into the US after her trip back home early next year.
fox foxMalePhilippines2012-10-01 10:25:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHow long for changing conditions for GC renewal

If you fill out your ROC timeline and where it was sent to, we can help you, really



Well,....we mailed out a I-751 within the 90 days expiration of her GC to this address:

USCIS Vermont Service Center
75 Lower Welden Street
P.O. Box 200
St. Albans, VT 05479-0001

and received a receipt letter with an appointment date for her to take care of biometrics stuff at a New Orleans office. She made it to her appointment on 3 August 2012. It's been almost 2 months and we haven't received anything in the mail since her appointment in New Orleans. We're expecting some notification in the mail for an interview, likely to happen in Jacksonville, FL, since that is where we went after we were married for her to get her GC.
fox foxMalePhilippines2012-09-28 14:22:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionHow long for changing conditions for GC renewal
My wife and I married early 2010 and we applied to change her status since her GC was expiring in 2012. We submitted the paperwork and fee for a new GC and she made it to her biometrics appointment in New Orleans early August 2012. We have received NOTHING in the mail confirming her fulfilled appointment or anything for the next step. It's been almost 2 months now with hearing nothing about her paperwork status. Where do we go from here? We're both a little nervous since we have not received anything in the mail since her biometrics appointment.
fox foxMalePhilippines2012-09-28 13:44:00
PhilippinesVisa came quickly Air 21 package
thanks for sharing your good news, because my fiance had her interview there just tuesday, 12 jan 10. she was told by one of the staff, welcome to the US and then she paid for her air 21 parcel fee. i'm sooooo exicited!!!
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-12 15:27:00
PhilippinesFiancee interview today at 7am and worried no repsonse from her

:dance: :dance: ANOTHER US VISA SERVED UP FRESH AND HOT FROM MANILA! :dance: :dance:


hotter than fresh pan de sal?
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-12 17:08:00
Philippineshow safe is it to travel to manila?
don't flash your money around. get yourself a belt that has a hidden zipper compartment and stash some emergency money in there...just in case the worst happens. travel with her or one of her brothers. stay out of luneta park at night. don't over drink and become a victim of assult and robbery. use good judgement

I love manila and I miss it so much since I moved away when i was 12.

oh........if you go into a market area you will not always see prices marked for fruits/veggies or seafoods. i always give my money to my relatives or fiance for them to make the purchases and i physically stay away from them. when it's known that i'm with them, the price goes up.

have fun. if you've got some time..definately plan for a trip to corregidor island. it's sooooo worth it...plan for an overnight trip for the best experience. it's also a nice getaway from manila to spend some one on one time with your fiance without the distractions and noises of the city.

google it. you'll love corregidor especially if you're a military buff.

i know that "I shall return" one day.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-12 17:19:00
Philippineswho's getting bored there
I found something to ease my boredom....I bought a new video card for my computer and a copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. It's a great time killer and even my fiance expresses that she wants to play this game too. $200 invested but now i'm not spending anymore money on entertainment outside of my house on the weekends.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-12 16:21:00
PhilippinesMarry in USA or Philippines?
personally, what's important to me is to have my fiance with me here in the US ASAP. Her being able to work right away is not my first priority. I went the route to obtain a k-1 visa and submitted my i-129f sometime in march 09. my fiance just had her embassy interview yesterday and has no doubts that she will get her visa since she went through the entire process there and paid for her passport delivery fee from the embassy to her house, which will include the visa in the passport. we were delayed because of some unbelievable rediculous process that the medical clinic performed, delayed us by 2 months.

if we weren't delayed, we believed that she could have been here just before thanksgiving.....big thanks to st.lukes medical clinic for the delay.
of all the places my fiance had to go to during this process, she says that st.luke's tops all the other places as the biggest pain in the #### for frustration.
another thanks to st.lukes.

money isnt' the most important thing to me. i have a job and i'll make more. what you can't replace is lost time not being with your fiance.

go for what's the fastest process. k-1. heck, even with the extra two month delay from st.lukes, my fiance will still be here with me in under 1 year from the start of our paperwork.

good luck and be patient.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-12 17:05:00
PhilippinesCheapest "One Way" ticket
i have always used www.bookingbuddy.com to compare prices. be sure to stay away from purchasing tickets that do not show you the flight times. You may find yourself having to run through the airport to catch next flights. give yourself and your loved one plenty of time without stressing over potentially missing their next flight. give yourself a little more time between flights if you are changing carriers and/or going from a domestic flight to international or vice versa. going through customs and having to recheck your bags for domestic flights can cause some longer delays.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-12 15:14:00
Philippinespassport with visa wait times question.
UPDATE. MY FIANCE HAD HER K1 INTERVIEW ON 12 JANUARY 2010 AND JUST RECEIVED HER PASSPORT/VISA ON 20 JANUARY 2010, MANILA DATES.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!

FOR THOSE JUST READING THIS THREAD, SHE LIVES IN ANTIPOLO, WHICH WOULD BE THE REASON FOR A QUICKER RECEIVED TIME FRAME (PASSPORT NOT HAVING TO TRAVEL FAR).
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-19 21:52:00
Philippinespassport with visa wait times question.
thanks arbind.ariadne. i'll ask her if she was given a tracking number.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-19 14:50:00
Philippinespassport with visa wait times question.
okay, so my fiance had her interview on the 12th of january 2010 in manila. after her question/answer session with the interviewer, the interviewer said "welcome to the united states". my fiance then went to pay for her air21 mailing service for her passport. her mailing address is in antipolo, which is still NCR. how long should it take for her to get her passport back?

also....if for some reason she was denied her k1 visa, would she have gotten this far in the process, or would the embassy just have given her back her passport while at the embassy?

the reason why i ask this is because i don't see how the US embassy has the right to hold the passport of a foreigner, keeping him/her from travelling outside of their home country.

Edited by Charmaine+James, 19 January 2010 - 02:05 PM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-19 14:04:00
Philippinesif you are shopping online for airline tickets, read this
i'm back at work now and checked the price again. same flights, same date, same website....it's $200 cheaper now than when i last searched at work, same price i paid from home. geez. everyone spread the word on how these online bookies go about pricing tickets. i did buy my tickets around 3am central time, USA btw.

Edited by Charmaine+James, 20 January 2010 - 11:28 AM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 11:27:00
Philippinesif you are shopping online for airline tickets, read this
over the past few days, i've been window shopping airline tickets from both work and home. last night while at work, i noticed that the price had been increasing on a specific ticket combo, which was really surprising and upsetting me, but i came to my senses that i was willing to pay for the increased price to have my fiance with me sooner than having to wait and search for later dates for cheaper ticket pricing.

i went home to buy the tickets, thinking that i would have to pay the higher price, but when i was checking up on the price before purchase, i noticed that the price was back at the original price i found when i first started researching prices.

moral of the story: it might be a good idea to check the pricing on another computer if you notice the price is going up on one specific computer

i think that the websites are keeping track of how many times a certain computer is visiting the website and is increasing the prices.

we're not talking about airline ticket prices that fluctuate like the stock market people.

all i know is that something was fishy, but good thing i bought the tickets from home. it saved me over $200
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 09:07:00
Philippinesanything else to be received with passport/visa?

It is just required for filipinos. Here is the link: http://www.cfo.gov.p...m...4&Itemid=33


required? OMFG i can't belive how the government just does what they can to milk their own people (me actually) for money. What i don't understand is what is the reason for this CFO seminar??? Why would the US care about some Filipino seminar???
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 17:26:00
Philippinesanything else to be received with passport/visa?

after she gets the passport/visa, she should attend the CFO seminar in QC or manila to get the sticker required for filipinos leaving as fiances/spouses/workers

congrats!



CFO seminar??? can someone give anymore info about this??? I thought that when she gets her visa, that's the okay to fly to the USA???
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 15:34:00
Philippinesanything else to be received with passport/visa?
along with the returned passport with visa, is there anything else besides the sealed envelope that should be delivered to my fiances home? are there any other papers / documents / forms she will need for US customs to grant her access into the USA?
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 03:15:00
PhilippinesBooking plane tickets for your fiance

Now that my fiance has been approved, I've been shopping around for plane tickets. I found a really good one for 684 dollars after tax from Manila to Omaha. The 2 connect flights are in Hong Kong and then again in Chicago. Is there any problems booking a planet ticket out of the country for your fiance? Is it a good idea to have a connect flight in China?



I'd be satisfied with that price. I've been shopping to see what my fiance's ticket will cost and it's in the mid 700's to fly her to atlanta. one thing i have considered is that i am only interested in a ticket set that has her only flying to atlanta and no other US airport. I don't want her to have to go through customs elsewhere, then turn around and have to recheck her baggage. this is me though. it's still a 6-7 hour drive for me to go to atlanta, but it works out for us since we have a mini vacation planned already in that area before i introduce her to her new home.

i've been using www.bookingbuddy.com for ticket research and have had good results in the past with price comparison. it's amazing when you find a good ticket price and check the week before, just how much more the price is for the exact same flight. play around with which week and also what day. i've found that a flight leaving on a wednesday can cost 200 less than a flight leaving on a thursday of the same airline and same flight times, and same website. amazing price difference for only 24 hours right?

search and be patient.

good luck.

Edited by Charmaine+James, 19 January 2010 - 01:59 PM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-19 13:57:00
PhilippinesVia KOREA?
If there is no visa requirement for Filipino citizens to visit Korea, then there shouldn't be a problem. Personally, for a 10 hour layover...is it really worth it to leave the airport just for sleep? Airplanes are for sleeping, getting the oportunity for a 10 hour layover in a country that has no visa requirement for 10 hours outside of the airport and free to walk thier country is a mini vacationer's blessing for sightseeing, not for sleeping.

Forget the sleep. I'd be out looking for a small place to get some chamchi kimbop, some duk-po-kee, and an OB beer house.
Ya! na-nun yo-gi han-guk!!! O-B maek-ju how-suh O-di-se-yo?

I lived in Uijongbu, S.Korea for a year and I had an awesome time immersing myself in anything I could in that country, starting with learning how to read the actual Korean Hangul.

Edited by Charmaine+James, 21 January 2010 - 01:33 PM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-21 13:31:00
PhilippinesFilipino Dishes
in case some of you forgot how to cook the most simplest dish, here's a refresher video to get you back to speed in the kitchen and your memory at full recovery....

lol

i'm sure some of you have already seen this video but not all have.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 20:37:00
PhilippinesFilipino Dishes
i'm perfectly happy with bagoong and rice or rice and galungong tinapa or tuyo. i guess my simple tastes have something to do with me being half filipino by blood, but full pinoy sa puso.

i honestly would never turn down a nice bowl of goto though. yummy at anytime.

geez i miss pinoy foods there. i can't wait to retire and move there.

Edited by Charmaine+James, 20 January 2010 - 03:32 PM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 15:31:00
PhilippinesMagic Jack
I've been using the MJ for several months now as my primary home phone here in the US. I sent one to my fiance and what we found out is that you NEED to have BETTER THAN DECENT internet in order for it to work clearly. It also helps to switch the setting to aircard (3g), rather than normal (hi-speed).

Most of our conversations are useless because we can barely understand each other due to her internet service.

what she has for internet service is provided by some cellphone company that utilizes a small dish that's pointed at a cell tower, so it's either globe or smart.

Guys, it's just better to get your fiance/wife better internet service if you're going to use the magicjack.

Edited by Charmaine+James, 24 January 2010 - 05:49 AM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-24 05:48:00
PhilippinesVisa still not released

Congrats on your visa!

Yes, I'm familiar with Filipino time, but this is still a US embassy... lol. Which might be worse... hmm I'll have to think about that one.

Vicky's going to do her CFO tomorrow (Th.) in case her visa would happen to arrive late on Friday, so she could still come on Saturday.

I'm beginning to adjust my expectations to next week.


based on the turn around time it took for my fiance, and since vicky had her interview 2 days after charmaine, vicky will likely get on her passport/visa on friday or saturday.
my fiance is going to take care of the CFO this monday. less than 2 weeks and she'll be here with me. ahhhh i can't wait. finally!!!

Edited by Charmaine+James, 21 January 2010 - 03:43 PM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-21 15:38:00
PhilippinesVisa still not released

Yes, I understand.

I'm not because we're still within the promised time.

I'm just venting, and saving someone else the $18 fee to call the info. line, it's worthless. They can't tell you anything at all, whatsoever.

I'm actually still very grateful to be at this point in the process in 4 months.

Just was hoping for this weekend and a bit let down/ frustrated.


if you don't get it by the end of her Friday, then you'll be behind schedule with getting the passport back compared to when my fiance got her passport back. if not friday, i hope you get it no later than saturday. you'll get it. i'm surprised you were very lucky for your paperwork to move that fast. i submitted my i-129f in march 09, which will put me at 10 months and a few days, compared to your 4 months. your process took less than HALF the time mine did and probably significantly less months than most.

Edited by Charmaine+James, 21 January 2010 - 10:15 AM.

fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-21 10:12:00
PhilippinesVisa still not released
you will get the visa soon enough. my fiance just had her interview 12 january and just go her visa on 20 january. you're just two days behind. ........and....if you're not familiar with filipino time....you'd better familiarize yourself with it.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-20 03:24:00
Philippines? on what to expect at POE, any tips?

Just make sure that the brown envelope from the embassy is not opened, torn or damaged in any way.

Mostly its a paperwork matter. No real questions. My SO was asked if she was aware that she only had 90 days to marry and little else...

Remember to ask for your X-Ray CD cause its yours to keep. Also fill up the I-94 while on the plane cause it a lot easier than waiting till you get to the Customs desk.

Have your embassy packet and passport ready for the officer and say Please and Thank You!! :)

Welcome to America!!

-Phil


when you say open....what about the fact that my fiance's envelope has a huge corner chunk missing.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-26 15:11:00
Philippines? on what to expect at POE, any tips?
My fiance is due to arrive in the US next week with her K-1 visa. Can anyone tell me what she can expect to happen? Does anyone have any tips that might help us with her working earlier or for her adjustment/change of status. Are there any questions she should ask before she's allowed to leave the customs officials?

I'm looking for answers that involve her when she's at the airport. All answers that are related to the future, i'll ask re-ask those questions later. Perhaps i'm asking some questions that can only be handled in the future after the POE. I'm sort-a clueless about what happens during and after the POE.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-26 13:41:00
PhilippinesWhere's the _________ visa already?
it's about time. i wonder what took so long since my fiance had her interview on the 12th and got her passport back with visa on 20th...well my fiance will be flying on the 3rd. i'm stoked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! X a billion!
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-01-27 13:22:00
PhilippinesRetiring in the Philippines
I could easily buy my grandmother's land in Bicutan, but I'd rather not live in an urban environment. I have fallen in love with Palawan, but would rather prefer the coolness that Baguio brings. I could also easily settle on beautiful Batanes, but it's a bit over isolated for me.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-05-13 10:23:00
PhilippinesRetiring in the Philippines
I left my heart in the Philippines when I moved away at age 12 and I want to move back there one day. I keep telling myself that i'll be out of the US no later than 59 1/2, when i'll be able to draw my 401k with no penalties. i'll probably settle down in the baguio area.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-04-01 14:40:00
PhilippinesHow long does it take for wife to adjust to US Time
it takes me no time at all. for international flights, i fly with two watches and adjust one to my destination's local time. i force myself to sleep on the plane and to wake up. no problem for me.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-05-11 10:10:00
PhilippinesAfraid of Thief info

My co sponsor is afraid of thief info in the mail sending their original tax transcript or tax returns, W2, paystub either of the 2. We know that when have tax transcript no need for paystubs , emp cert . Are there among here who did this sending originals tax returns? Does the consul really ask for the original tax returns of the co sponsor because those infos are all there the SSS # and everything...Pls help. We started to print all those tax returns they emailed us here but some here advised they might ask for originals the consul....


Every single tax document i sent to the Philippines was scanned and printed, but before i scanned the documents, i made sure that every page did not expose my ssn or bank account info. when i printed out the copies, there was no trace of my ssn or bank routing number to be read or identified. my wife had no problems submitting these documents for the support part of our paperwork.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-06-10 13:41:00
PhilippinesAOS interview question
We have our AOS interview date next month in Jacksonville. Can anyone tell me what to expect with questions? Is this interview a one on one or can I be there too? About how long does this interview take?

Where would you also suggest for Pinoy related stuff, sari sari, resto in the JAX area?
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-06-22 13:39:00
Philippinesgoing to the philippines.a few questions
If you can, make a little vacation out of it all. No big neen to live the life of staying at home while you're there. Vacationing there is very affordable and worth it while you're visiting. My wife and I spent time on Corregidor Island, then the next day after we returned to Manila flew to Puerto Princessa, Palawan. When we flew back to Manila we hooked up with my cousin to eat at the dampa market next to the Mall of Asia, then took us to Tagaytay. My wife and I took a bus from Tagaytay to Manila and spent a few days at her house before I flew back.

I will tell you that if you spend your time "at home" while you're there, you will be missing out on so much to see in that country.

If you are staying in the NCR area (Manila) it would be worth your time to check out Corregidor Island, Intramuros (Fort Santiago), Quiapo district, and Dampa near MOA (go there starving, leave super full). Personally I don't highly recommend visiting the Aquarium at Bagumbayan Park. I wasn't really impressed especially with the 500Php price. I consider it to be a huge tourist trap, with no cultural or historic contribution.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-05-13 10:12:00
Philippinesto all of you with facebook accounts
like i said, i don't trust websites with how much they state they are secure, so blocking people on my friends list has nothing to do with the issue. I've been warned by banks that even their servers have been hacked into. ....now, don't you think that a bank would have better security than a social website? what i'm talking about are those hacking individuals out there, not my fb fam members or friends.

and to make a long story short...things are resolved and i'm keeping my account.

my social life isn't on fb, it's on the valve steam CODMW2 PC server....join the [AdObO] clan today.
happy fps hunting. lol.
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-06-07 12:37:00
Philippinesto all of you with facebook accounts
Originally I opened a facebook account years before I met my wife as a way to say hi to old school friends and relatives, most of which don't live in my region.
I don't trust putting all my "personal info", facts or pictures on the internet reguardless of how "secure" websites are.
I learned this way of thinking from all the movies i've seen and all the past and continuous training i've received from the military.

My wife was so upset because I won't post pictures of us online, though she posts pictures of us on her facebook account and links me to the pictures with me in them.
I have only requested that she not link me in some pictures or remove some pictures only because i didn't particularly like the way i looked in some of the picturs, but not all.
She claims that I have no pride in having her as a wife and that i'm trying to keep her in the shadows from my online life, which I don't really do have one.

I've been harrassed by her twice now for the same issue, so I decided to just close my facebook account, which means also that I don't have that easy access way to just say hi to old friends and more importantly....my relatives. I was just so tired of how high she escaladed this issue and since I feel like she will never give into this and think that she's right, so i just closed the account.


Do you think that because of my reasoning for protecting my personal life that I am no directly guilty of not showing her off to the world of the internet???
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-06-05 10:24:00
PhilippinesWhat can we expect at the AOS interview?
just junk mail and all the 790 forms

nothing addressed as a couple though
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-07-14 14:16:00
PhilippinesWhat can we expect at the AOS interview?
well....we have our certified marriage documents, but we didn't do anything formal so we don't have wedding pictures. we are a genuine couple and there's nothing she couldn't answer about me and me about her as far as our relationship goes. she has a driving learner's permit with my house address on it. every document has my house address on it. She hasn't worked since she got here, and so I never made it a sole priority to get her on my bank account and with my work schedule, i really don't have time to add her before our interview. she's on my dental and health plans. hmm...am i leaving something else out?...
fox foxMalePhilippines2010-07-14 14:01:00