Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU SMILE!!!!!!!! This explains why I forward jokes. A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.' The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked. 'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.' The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. 'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.' 'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog. 'There should be a bowl by the pump.' They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked. 'This is Heaven,' he answered. 'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.' 'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.' 'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?' 'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.' Soooo... Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this will explain. When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes. When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes. When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes. Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for,guess what you get? A forwarded joke. So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile. You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-09-14 15:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	QUOTE (GloAndCole @ Sep 14 2008, 10:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Cloe, Heather & Mitchamy, Thanks so much for you girls encouragement. I went to sleep and tried to calm myself down and it seems work abit. My bf just called me that he is waiting to get on his flight and he is trying his best to come to HK on time. So now I can only trust him and believe in him. Sorry I acted so stupid and I felt collapsed. It is just hard to control my emotions when I expected to see him tonight. I supposed to have only half day off on Tues for interview, meanie boss dun let me to off whole day but now whateverrrr... I'm gonna call in sick if he doesn't let me to off whole day!!!! Once again thank you so much that I can vent it out and I feel alot better now. PS: Mitchamy I was sleeping when I got your sms so sorry to make u worried about me! u girls! *Muah* Glo Glo---- good luck today!!!! it will be great, let us know !!!! cca--- CONGRATS!!!!!! sorry this is late, catching up here. --kathie	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-09-14 14:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	marcos heidi, just checking in, catching up on reading all the posts. what is happening with your co sponsor-- did they change their mind or did you find another one??? kathie	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-09-14 14:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	QUOTE (Beta @ Sep 8 2008, 09:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE Then I think, omg 90 days! What am I going to wear? Will I be a good wife? Will I like my new last name? What if I start snoring after we get married? Haha I'm having the same "problem"! I had never even stopped to think about the wedding, I never dreamed about a big ceremony or anything. I guess in the back of my head I though we'd just wake up in the morning and go to the court house and get married. But after the NOA2 I started thinking... hey I want at least a cute dress... and pictures... and family and close friends will expect a reception... and then it hit me that I need to start thinking about the wedding! And then there's the most important part, that's actually being married and living together. I've never even had a roomate... what if I'm a terrible wife? And my name... I've had my name since I was born, how weird is it going to be to have a new one? On the plus side, I think all these things are actually fun to think of... keeps my mind busy during the wait. But anyways, what I wanted to ask you guys... We got approved on Aug 27th as well, do you think it's time to call NVC already? I'm curious and I'd love to know at what point our petition is. i FEEl like Im in the same boat!!!! here is my list: how do i explain i want to keep my family name? how am i going to plan 3 ceremonies and not go nuts? one in ecuador, one in california for friends and coworkers, one in wisconsin for family? when are we going to have a honeymoon? and how are we going to pay for it? when will i get pregnant and will it be ok at work (Im a firefighter) ? when should i get my next ticket to ecuador? why are there at least 7 couples on the top 20 list that applied after us but have already been approved- is something wrong with our application? what if my bed is too small and he hogs the whole thing? what if i cant sleep? how do you plan an engagement party? is that done by a friend or yourself? my dog is getting old, should i get her a young companion-- wait, Im not even on the same topic anymore!!! :-o !!!! ARG! QUOTE (jeffcloe @ Sep 14 2008, 08:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (HednJimmy @ Sep 14 2008, 04:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (jeffcloe @ Sep 12 2008, 09:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> OHHH MYYYY GOOOSSSHHHHH Guyyyysssss! Heyyyyyy!!!! Read this!!!!! We finally..... GOT OUR NOA2 September 12 2008 Am i dreaming? Is it real? I am crying while laughing, what is happening to me LOL Thanks April filers!!! And for the rest, HANG IN THERE! There's time for all of us! God bless... A new journey has just started for me and Jeff! THANK YOU LORD for this such a wonderful blessings! I knew your time would come! Now I can also add the guy! Jeffcloe, ScottB, keep us informed of your progress! And grats to Peluche for the Visa! So happy to see that we might possibly get Christmas wished with our loved ones this year YAAAYYYY thanks hahaha! I am busy preparing for Jeff's visit as of now, but once we get our interview date maybe 2 or 3 weeks from now I will let you know guys! hahaha For now I just want to enjoy 2 weeks of Jeff's vacation here. I am feeling super super super HAPPY because NOA2 and Jeff's vacation were just two of the most wonderful gifts I received this month yaaayyy! Glo, sis, let us know what happened? I am worried about you... YAY JEFF AND CLOE!!!! YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!!	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-09-14 14:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	marcos heidi, hang in there baby, one day at a time, if not possible, one moment at a time. you are just around the corner. where are you in wisconsin? i went to UW madison, small world ay? peluche......yay!!!!!!! hearing from all of you makes it seem real. hey everyone, remember while you are waiting to start working on the next steps. nich-nick was the one that clued me in to that. thank you nich-nick! make sure you tell your fiances to get their birth certificates and police records, and all of us in the US need to get our papers ready too: tax returns or IRS transcripts, letter from employer.... read the forums - there is some good info "pinned" out there. ciao amigos- kathie	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-09-03 22:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	marcos heidi...angel......everyone else who just got approved--- CONGRATS!!!!!!!	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-08-31 21:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	from cca- HUMPH sob sniff Sorry to put a downer on today... I know most of you are going through the same process...i just need a moan and groan [/quote] dear dear dear cca, it's ok to have days like this, you are only human. try to remember to take it a day at a time, or a moment at a time if a whole day is too hard. try to remember to enjoy the present, no matter what, because you will never have it again. how much easier it would be for everyone if we knew how many days we had to wait, to not be in limbo like this. but things are not that way, and it's a challenge to us all. i know if we knew it would be 4 days, or 7, or even more, that just knowing how long we had to wait , we would be able to make it. so since we dont know, we just have to play that game with ourselves, pretending you already know. we each have asked for our dream to come true, and it will. so just know that, and know that often there is a reason for the mystery behind things. all the best to you, and everyone else, as we are all in the same boat. so cca, a special hug for you!! you are in the UK, right? as they would say, now run along and have a little cuppa tea, alright? kathie	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-08-29 20:03:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	I'm gettin' verklempt!!!! Congratulations Peluche and wifetobe!!!! and RObertM--- oh my God!!!!! ive been following you too!! seriously, im all choked up, im so happy for you all!!! kathie Edited by Chamy and Gatita, 22 August 2008 - 12:02 AM.	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-08-22 00:00:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	QUOTE (HednJimmy @ Aug 8 2008, 07:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (StaceyG @ Aug 8 2008, 06:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I got our Approval this morning when I checked my email.. Im still just over the moon !! and a little overwhelmed at what to do now ! Grats Grats GRATS!!!!! I can't believe the April filers are finally up! This is so exciting! *crosses fingers* I want to be next! Good luck to you and a speedy process to the end! On a side note, I would like to get a new thread started for all the April NOA2 approvals so we can keep in touch in regards to our process. Does that sound good? I know we all have different consulates, but us April filers need to stick together! Heather heather, yes please do! sounds great! thanks!	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-08-09 13:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	April 08 CSC filers	hi everybody! to answer to question, we did not use a lawyer. we are #161 on igor's list as of today- we filed on april 28 so we're at the end of the pack. maaaayyyyyybeeee one more month til the NOA2????????	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2008-07-27 21:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Question re DS-230, part I	[/quote] Its question 32 (on the actual form and 22 on the example form ) and it is asking for an Occupation (Which occupation do you intend to...?) Banker, Lawyer, Doctor, Baker, Candle Stick Maker are all occupations... If none - write "Unknown." [/quote] "Unknown". Perfect. Thank you!	grinchus	Female	Italy	2009-08-31 12:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Question re DS-230, part I	QUOTE (Stephen + Elisha @ Aug 31 2009, 08:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sounds like you're referring to the DS-156, not the DS-230. DS-230 doesn't ask about plans for employment. Take a look at the DS-156 example form here on VJ - the suggested answer is Yes - "With employment authorization, employer unknown." The DS-156 does ask such a question, but so does the DS-230 part I. I have it in front of me and in question 22 where it asks you to list all employers for the last 10 years, there is a question at the bottom: "In what occupation do you intend to work in the United States." Is it required to answer this question, or may I leave it blank?	grinchus	Female	Italy	2009-08-31 11:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	Question re DS-230, part I	Hi everyone, I received my fiance's packet from the Naples Consulate today! Hooray! First of all, is it normal that I get it, or should they have sent it to him. Regardless, I'm going to fill out all the parts I can 'cause they're in English - and bureaucratic English at that - and then send them to him via courier to sign (at least what he's supposed to sign in advance). Here's my question: In question 22 they as what he's planning to do when he's here for a job. Does he have to answer that question? He's going to spend the first year learning English and hopefully coaching a sport, but then he'll either do something in the fitness/coaching profession or something administrative like he currently does in Italy. Should I leave it blank, or write something vague like "I will seek administrative work" or "I will coach (fill in blank with sport)"? Thanks!	grinchus	Female	Italy	2009-08-31 10:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	People with recent NOA2 from CSC	If you have setup a timeline and you check it regularly you might have noticed the following: Based on timeline data, your I129f may be adjudicated between March 22, 2009 and April 26, 2009*. You might also be observant enough to notice the two dates are constantly changing. For instance a week ago, or maybe it was earlier this week when I last looked, the dates for this area of my timeline showed April 4, 2009 and May13, 2009. Today it shows what you see above. Even this can be misleading because it is only based on reported timelines here at VJ. Although it is somewhat of a guide. I'm hopeful but I'm not going to hold my breath if I don't see it adjudicated by March 22nd. Edited by bobb, 18 March 2009 - 09:45 PM.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-03-18 21:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	People with recent NOA2 from CSC	Not everyone before January has received an NOA2. I filed in mid-November and am still waiting. When I check the Immigration Timelines and filings similar to mine it shows 9 of 11 have received their NOA2. Upon closer examination of the 'similar' list it shows some with NOA1 back in September and October. I reconciled myself long ago to just be patient. Who knows why some receive a NOA2 quickly and others don't. I am as anxious as the next person to receive my NOA2. But, I have no control over when it will occur and do not wish to become upset with anything I have no control over. Patience is a very important quality to have in this endeavor. I probably could be expected to be more impatient than others as I am 60 and my fiance is 57. We won't have nearly as many years together as many of you. But, I wager we will have many, many wonderful years together with far fewer problems than some will experience. Just my two cents worth.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-03-17 21:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	CSC NOA2 in 31 days???	QUOTE They're not likely to do anything for him as the 'magic number' is 6 months.. anything faster than 6 months is within the timelimit to them so they only bother to call the USCIS (and the USCIS doesn't even bother then sometimes, look at Estadia for example, she is waiting for more than a year already) after the file date of the application is longer than 6 months ago. I am well aware of that. I have never in my previous 60 years on this planet ever written a representative in government. But, this time I decided I would: March 25, 2009 The Honorable nnnn 242 Cannon House Office Building United States House of Representatives Washington D.C. 20515 Dear Congressman nnn: I am writing to question my perceived lack of fairness with the processing of I-129F K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa applications at the California Service Center (CSC). It has always been my understanding applications are supposed to be processed in the order in which they are received. In the past couple of months this does not appear to be the case, at least at the California Service Center. Over the past two months it appears the majority of application approvals have been for couples who have waited a shorter period than many others. The best way for me to show my point is to review the attached pages. All statistics are gathered from a very popular website, although not official, I feel is very indicative of what is happening with all applications. (I cite my sources as links to Igor’s list and another link from above.) The table on page one shows the last 20 I-129F application approvals from CSC. As you can see only one person on this list received their NOA1 before December 2008. The remaining 19 are from December 2008 to February 2009. The second table shows people awaiting approvals with earlier NOA1 dates than many that have been approved. This shows the 38 applicants from Sep 08 - Nov 08 awaiting action on their application. All still within the suggested processing time from the CSC site: https://egov.uscis.g...eviceCenter=CSC The third page shows a graph which leads to my point about lack of fairness. After an application is received I have been lead to believe it is recorded as received and a NOA1 is sent to the applicant. The file is then put in storage until applications received prior have begun initial processing. I do not think it ‘fair’ that many applicants have received their NOA2 or initial processing for Dec 2008 – Feb 2009 while there are still 38 still on the list from Sep 08 – Nov 08 with no initial action at all on their applications. I am not asking you to specifically ask about my petition. According to the guidelines it is still too early for that specific request. There are still many ahead of me on the table on page 2 which should be considered ahead of me. I would like to find out why there is an apparent lack of fairness in this process. Sincerely, Name Address City, State, Zip H -phone W-phone This is really all I can do at the moment and go back to just being patient. For those who are just guessing about how applications are processed I suggest you go HERE! to review A Question and Answer Session with a former USCIS Adjudicator between VisaJourney members. Maybe I should amend that to 'how' they were processed. Again, I wish to congratulate everyone who has received an NOA2 with very short waiting times. When I began this process of waiting I set my mind to believe it would be between 4-6 months until NOA2.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-03-24 21:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	CSC NOA2 in 31 days???	QUOTE (Ginger cat @ Mar 24 2009, 01:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I spoke with my attorney, and even he thought our 28 day turn-around was about the quickest he had seen. He did mention that sometimes they will stack up the attorney-filed applications and process them first, since they are pretty sure there won't be any surprises in the paperwork. I'm sorry I just find this comment a little humorous after reading so many comments from this board on how their attorneys have been so inept. Even if that was true that should not be any basis for why they look at a newer application as opposed to older ones. QUOTE and the visa journey site just provide datas and dateline according to waht we, users, we give, in any case it can be taken into account by ,any US gov/ it's not bc visajourney make estimation that it has to be relevant or offers any guarantee for the delays. please don't mix carotts and bananas. I understand all what you say but timelines here at VJ, I believe, are indicative of what one should expect. Yes, many drop out and don't update their timelines, but I don't feel there are enough of these cases to account for all the people still waiting. From my understanding they are supposed to go back to the warehouse and pull out your file, with no preconceived notions. If they find something in your file that warrants an RFE then they send one out. Then they go on to the next file until your RFE is returned. It's not rocket science.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-03-24 16:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	CSC NOA2 in 31 days???	I am really curious as to why CSC has approved so many people from Dec - Feb, with still many from Sept - Nov with no touches and no NOA2. It was my understanding they are supposed to go in order. I have nothing against anyone who has received their NOA2 who have filed later than me. All these fast approvals are really throwing out of whack any reasonable estimate of approval dates when looking at a personal timeline. My latest shows: Based on timeline data, your I129f may be adjudicated between February 11, 2009 and March 8, 2009*. So, it is still less than the official 6 months estimate at the CSC processing timeline site. A suggestion in the personal timeline box says: If this date range has passed or your application is past due per USCIS processing times then you should consider calling the USCIS to inquire on your petition. OK, so if I was to call what do you say to the CALL CENTER employee who has no way to really give you any information. It is still within the 6 month guidelines for CSC processing times for K-1's. About the only thing I can think of is to write my congressman and ask him why so many people are getting approved who have filed after many others? With everyone's timeline estimates of when the K-1 might be adjudicated being affected will this now encourage many people from Jan-Feb to call. If you doubt what I say you can look at Igor's list to see how many from Sept - Nov are still waiting for NOA2 and even earlier. Edited by bobb, 24 March 2009 - 12:20 PM.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-03-24 12:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	DHL	QUOTE (HelloWorld08 @ Mar 29 2009, 09:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> your interview is tomorrow, but you don't have the forms filled out? you should probably go to the embassy website to download the forms.. also did your fiance(e) send you anything to bring to the interview? The person who asked the original question has been directed in what to do. The above answer is a common answer I see here by a person who has the best of intentions, but without full knowledge of the individual requirements for a specific country. In this case the requirement to provide a prepaid DHL airbill for the visa to be sent to the beneficiary. There was no mention of missing forms, or lack of documents sent by the fiance. Unfortunately this well intentioned response could have been avoided if the original question had been posted in the this forum: Click Here! (Russia Regional) In addition if the topic starter had bothered to do any simple search, such as DHL, they would have been rewarded with many topics that have already discussed this issue. I would strongly suggest people first look in their regional discussion area and 9 out of 10 times they will find out what they are looking for faster. In this particular case the first item after a search of DHL is the pinned topic: Russia Specific FAQ. This topic provides a wealth of information for someone who lives in RUSSIA. I don't want to say people should not ask questions. But, questions can be more efficient and replies more accurate if people spend a few moments searching first instead of just asking first. In the long run I feel this approach is also quicker for the person with the questions to find the answers.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-03-29 16:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	How long to NVC after NOA2	QUOTE (Matt & Bing @ Apr 16 2009, 06:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You need to speak to a person at NVC. They probably already have it and will tell you if it has been sent on to the foreign consulate yet. The automated system does not work for K visas. Thank you for great advice. Just called moments ago. Received and sent already to USEM in Russia on 4/13.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-04-16 22:28:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	How long to NVC after NOA2	Received my email notification of NOA2 from CSC on 4/03. Call automated number for NVC and no record of it being received yet - 9 business days. I entered my WAC # on the I-797 NOA2 notice I received in the mail in the automated setup. Do I have to wait for the 4 weeks until I call to speak to a warm body? Seems to me most people are showing much shorter times from Service Center to NVC.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-04-16 20:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reports	NOA2 approval letter so soon?	If you check the November 08 filers thread here at VJ for CSC, there are three that have received their NOA2's in the past week.	bobb	Male	Russia	2009-01-14 00:59:00
Philippines	The irony...	QUOTE (rockhouse @ Jan 9 2009, 09:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was just curious as to how many of you filipinas can swim? My filipina sweetheart is still in Cebu and she and most of her family/friends cant swim! Living in Texas it is a necessity to know how to swim as it gets so darn hot here! Also, i want to teach her to wakeboard when she gets here....so how many of you pinay's can swim? And to the ones that learned once they got here, was it easy for you to learn? Im just curious...thanx yall! My lady can't swim either but has done some jetskiing I think the reason why most pinoys/pinays can't swim is that no one (i.e no class offered in school or by the local government) really teaches swimming at schools (not sure about that now) and people don't have access to public pools/school pools like here in the US. I used to live near Camp John Hay (when it was still being run by the US) in Baguio and had access to the swimming pool over there.	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-10 01:51:00
Philippines	Waiting in San Fransico	QUOTE (stevew158 @ Jan 13 2009, 09:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks I did go out for a walk and down to In and out burger, I thought people back home drove crazy, not sure if its just bad night but im glad I was walking and not out driving with these fools. The walk did do me some good but now im tired with sore legs and still cant sleep lolz. So im surfing the net, i guess acutally surfing VJ. Thanks for the reply. Oh yeah...mmm crazy california drivers hahahaha....well I think we norcal drivers are less crazy than our socal counterpart	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-14 00:40:00
Philippines	Waiting in San Fransico	QUOTE (stevew158 @ Jan 13 2009, 09:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just sitting in the hotel room in San Fran, waiting Radz arrives tomorrow, I arrived today so i can meet her at the airport tomorrow when her flight arrives. Ahhh should be an exciting day for you =) you should go out and unwind a bit a lil walk...being coop in a room will just get you more uhhh edgy? errr that's not the word I mean lol. The weather should be nice since it'll be pretty warm these past days here around the bay area. Thank God for winter in norcal ^^ Edited by spikeyflip, 14 January 2009 - 12:21 AM.	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-14 00:20:00
Philippines	What's cheapest way to Phone home?	QUOTE (Jaminzel @ Jan 12 2009, 08:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hey VJ People, My fiance wants to keep in touch with her family back home in the Philippines, What is the smartest (cheapest) way to do this on a regular basis? Thanks, Ben Also, you can use Yahoo messenger to make calls on the internet (thru their Yahoo! voice). Been using this since last year...it's great !!	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-13 00:32:00
Philippines	International calling card to the Philippines	QUOTE (Jaminzel @ Jan 15 2009, 10:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hey VJ people, My fiance wants to contact her family in the Philippines on a regular basis. Her family doesn't have any internet access other than the internet cafe, and we've been told that an international calling card is the best way to go. Is there anyone who can offer advice on who offers the best card for this? Thanks, Ben Mmmm for calling cards, I usually buy tipid pinoy at the gas station near my place, it's one of the few cards that are reliable. Just be aware, that they nickel and dime you on a few things, one example is if you get disconnected and make a new call, they will take out some amount in your minutes. There's a lot of cards usually been sold at asian markets or plazas and they provide around 25-40 minutes call time (this depends if it's a landline to landline or mobile to mobile). Also, LBC sells rechargable phone cards (http://www.teamlbc.com/).	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-15 14:26:00
Philippines	CSC K1 oct filer approve already join me....	Congrats peacefulpaul ! Mmmm I hope ours get approved soon as seeing all this October filers getting approved just makes those in the process more anxious hahaha.	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-17 23:49:00
Philippines	cheap tickets where to buy	You can go to this site www.kayak.com This site searches all several sites and you can compare the different prices.	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-16 23:56:00
Philippines	moving to cebu	QUOTE (Seattle2Cebu @ Jan 14 2009, 03:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I had bad experiences bringing a fiance here to the usa and also a fiance that i married. I am going to move to cebu and live there for a year. Are there any people here from cebu or living in cebu? I would like to know what I can get an apartment for. My girlfriend in Cebu says we can get one for 5,000 pesos. My problem with her is that she doesnt speak much english. So you may ask why the heck I would move there. Well thats my problem. I am going to teach her english when I get there. What would I expect to pay for food for one month? I am talking about going cheap. I dont think its easy for an American to get a job there. I understand after you are married, that it would be easier and not require a work permit. I understand the pay is much less in the Philippines. I dont have a lot of money, but Im working and saving to take enough money to live there until I get a job. Ya im crazy, so what. So if anyone from Cebu would like to throw in any advice about getting an apartment etc. ok thanks Food will be cheap there...no worries....as long as you don't go out and eat out everyday As for jobs, maybe you can start a business? Anyways...God bless on your decision and good luck !!	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-24 22:34:00
Philippines	Balikbayan Box	QUOTE (Willyn and Larry @ Jan 27 2009, 07:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am looking for a Balikbayan Box shipper in the Rochester, NY area. Anyone know of any? I have googled all I can think of and have come up with nothing. Thanks http://www.teamlbc.c....aspx?zip=14602 That should have the list around zipcode 14602 (rochester NY)	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-27 23:09:00
Philippines	She PASSED!!!!	Congrats !	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-01-29 00:09:00
Philippines	just new here	Welcome to VJ ! kumusta and hello	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-02-02 13:39:00
Philippines	W2 vs. tax transcripts	Good to know, I got both my W2 for this year and for 06 and 07 aaannnnddd the tax transcripts also	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-02-03 22:55:00
Philippines	my first impression of the U.S.	Welcome to the US ! never been that far...I hate cold weather	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-02-09 23:29:00
Philippines	Anthony Bourdain - Travel Channel Monday Night	http://www.travelcha...?seriesId=28593 18th, 1 PM ET 22nd, 10 AM ET 23rd, 11 AM ET	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-02-18 18:10:00
Philippines	Anthony Bourdain - Travel Channel Monday Night	QUOTE (alienlovechild @ Feb 17 2009, 06:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ...I learned that it was Augusto (the cebuano guy/from NY) who convinced Michael to feauture PI in his show. Thanks to him anyway. I just noticed the irony when Augusto was not able to answer the question of Michael " So who are really the Filipinos?" With so many colonizers that came to Philippines and influenced the people there, Augusto had the difficulty to identify and describe the real identity of Filipinos. Can you answer that question guys? He did mentioned he's fil am and during the interview part (from last season revealed that he only went back to the Philippines once and only for a week.) and he can't really answer the question since he himself is still trying to find his identity as a filipino. I guess for me, I can say that all that mixture of chinese, american and spanish cultural influences made us into what the Filipino is. It's like the pinakbet that they featured...mixed all those up and you got this uhm unique dish . That's how I can describe it hehe. As much as I hate his angst woe is me, I feel left out story. I give Augusto credit for making the video and making the argument for Tony to go to the Philippines and check the history and cuisine. Tony should make another episode and hang out with the guys he was with like Ivan Man Dy (the food guide who went to the dampa with tony) and Joel Binamira (the lechon part) to show more of the dishes outside those 3 places. As for the balut, I think the producers as well as the guides don't want to do that since there's is more to just balut in Filipino food and also it's been played out (fear factor everyone?). Oh yeah...Tony wrote on his blog that lechon is number 1 best tasting pig he ever had	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-02-18 01:44:00
Philippines	I need help	Try this: www.mangotours.com (they're the same as www.flytomanila.com) Their prices are somewhat more lower than on the other sites I've checked.	spikeyflip	Male	Philippines	2009-02-18 02:20:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	arrested and detained- consequences?	Good morning, Thank you for your replies. I'm afraid the first writer might have jumped to a few conclusions though. Granted my post gave the barest minimum of details. To clarify then, I was referring to a county, not the country. The county this occured in is not friendly to Latinos, and that is well documented. The police detained him illegally and did not follow procedure. For this, no charges were filed. At that time, my husband did not want to have anything to do with the police, and he did not want to file a complaint or get a lawyer. I would have, but I respected his wishes. When he got arrested, he had been drinking and knew he could not drive. He went to his parked car and was sleeping it off. With regard to the first writer's comment that he should study the law, actually we did study the law and that is why the DA dropped charges. He was not in violation of the law and this did not, as the writer stated, constitute "public intoxication." He did not meet the criteria, one of which was to actually be in public. He was on private property, and had permission. So again, we are dealing with a case of county police not knowing the law and overstepping their legal jurisdiction. The first writer is right, it is unfortunate. Though we are happy that the charges were dropped, basically we find ourselves in a catch-22. We can't get his record expunged, because there are no charges or convictions to expunge. Yet we still have to disclose this detention and arrest, even though they amounted to nothing; one might even say they were wrongful and or illegal. Where is the fairness in that? We are interested in hearing if others have had direct experience in this area, and if there is a way to remove this from his record. Thanks everyone and have a great day.	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2011-01-12 13:40:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	arrested and detained- consequences?	We are getting ready to file for removal of conditions and I'm wondering if it's a big deal that hubby got detained once and arrested once. Charges were not filed- the DA dropped it. When he was detained it was for drunk and walking, the arrest was for drunk and sleeping in a parked car in a parking lot. In other words, BS from a county unfriendly to Latinos. We tried to find out if we could get his record cleared, but apparently we can't -- there are no charges to expunge. (catch-22!!!) Any thoughts?	Chamy and Gatita	Not Telling	Ecuador	2011-01-12 01:28:00