Hi everyone!
I made this compilation photo video of my husband because I love and admire him so much. This video was done as a gift for him. Anyway, thanks for watching!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Visa Taking Forever! What’s Going On?
Guys, it's almost August once again! We're past the 7-month mark now and we still don't know what we can expect from the status of our visa. This is already a burden to me and especially to my dear husband! It seems like everything they require will expire before I even got the visa. Every time they require something, they wait for one month to ask for the next thing. It sure seems to take a toll on our nerves. I am almost going nutty with the wait! Anyway, we are still waiting for their reply once they get hold of the documents before forwarding it to the Manila Embassy. We filed last November of 2010 and still waiting.
I will be sharing you some information and tips on how to save time and $$$ in case you are about to file a visa or still in the early process of filing. We did the IR/CR -1 (Immediate Relative/Conditional Resident) Visa. Since we are not yet 2 years from the time we got married, that makes me under the CR-1 Visa.
Birth Certificate- It is an advantage if you have extra copies of your birth certificate certified by the National Statistics Office. You may apply in person in any NSO office or have it delivered to you thru their online website. But since I don't like the long queues and I was often at the mall when I was in Manila last year, I got my copies thru SM Business Center in Mall of Asia or any branch. It's like working with the papers as we shop! You just simply need to sign the forms, make the payments, and then come back after a few days. For a P160 pesos per copy and 5 business days of waiting you can already obtain the documents without standing all day long in NSO offices. I had more than 6 copies of this document since I had to send few copies for my husband. You will also need to submit one of each when you apply for a new passport, CFO seminar, etc. By the way, you will also need an original or original certified copy of your husband's birth certificate that you will need during the interview.
Marriage Certificate- same with the Birth certificate, I got mine thru SM Business Center. I also made sure that I made extra copies because they will really ask for a copy every time you need to apply for a new identification card and you want now to use your married name like PRC, SSS, Passport, etc.
Cenomar- I had two copies of the Certificate of No Marriage before I got married here in the Philippines. We had to submit a copy at the Local Civil Registrar when we filed for the marriage license. But I read in the VJ site that some Consular Officer will ask you to still show this even when you are already married and you brought with you your Marriage Certificate. I am not sure the reason/s behind but I think they want to make sure that you were really single before you married your foreign husband.
NBI Clearance- I really believe you need two copies of this document. One is for your husband so he can send it to the National Visa Center when they are already asking for the original documents. And two, at the interview before you can get inside the building the guards will ask you to present a valid NBI Clearance together with other documents. Be sure that your NBI clearances are still valid or still not almost to expire.
Tax Records- You may do this ahead of time while waiting for the approval from the USCIS. This is one of the causes of the delay in our case. The legal assistants did not ask us to prepare while we were just in the waiting period. Your husband should get the latest 3 years tax transcripts and W2's if possible. My in-laws are my co-sponsors because my hubby was not earning enough not until last year. We also asked the tax records of my in-laws which took weeks before the Bureau of Tax sent it. Don't forget that if you have a co-sponsor, you will also need their birth certificates. They want to make sure that the sponsors are religiously paying their taxes.
Employment Letter/Certification-Remind your husband (and co-sponsor) to request from their company's Human Resources Department for an Employment Certification. It should include the name of your husband, title, date of employment and current salary (if salary is hourly, include the number of hours worked per week) signed by an officer of the company using the company's letterhead.
The days are going by so slow… the wait is unbearable. The unbearable part of it all is it could come any day now until whenever! So close yet so far. All I think about is this. I didn't expect the wait to be so difficult! I wish I can get over this stage this year. But I am willing to wait; it will be worth it because I know my husband is waiting for me at the other side of this planet. Oh well, I am still trying to be positive. Fingers crossed indeed!
I will be sharing you some information and tips on how to save time and $$$ in case you are about to file a visa or still in the early process of filing. We did the IR/CR -1 (Immediate Relative/Conditional Resident) Visa. Since we are not yet 2 years from the time we got married, that makes me under the CR-1 Visa.
Birth Certificate- It is an advantage if you have extra copies of your birth certificate certified by the National Statistics Office. You may apply in person in any NSO office or have it delivered to you thru their online website. But since I don't like the long queues and I was often at the mall when I was in Manila last year, I got my copies thru SM Business Center in Mall of Asia or any branch. It's like working with the papers as we shop! You just simply need to sign the forms, make the payments, and then come back after a few days. For a P160 pesos per copy and 5 business days of waiting you can already obtain the documents without standing all day long in NSO offices. I had more than 6 copies of this document since I had to send few copies for my husband. You will also need to submit one of each when you apply for a new passport, CFO seminar, etc. By the way, you will also need an original or original certified copy of your husband's birth certificate that you will need during the interview.
Marriage Certificate- same with the Birth certificate, I got mine thru SM Business Center. I also made sure that I made extra copies because they will really ask for a copy every time you need to apply for a new identification card and you want now to use your married name like PRC, SSS, Passport, etc.
Cenomar- I had two copies of the Certificate of No Marriage before I got married here in the Philippines. We had to submit a copy at the Local Civil Registrar when we filed for the marriage license. But I read in the VJ site that some Consular Officer will ask you to still show this even when you are already married and you brought with you your Marriage Certificate. I am not sure the reason/s behind but I think they want to make sure that you were really single before you married your foreign husband.
NBI Clearance- I really believe you need two copies of this document. One is for your husband so he can send it to the National Visa Center when they are already asking for the original documents. And two, at the interview before you can get inside the building the guards will ask you to present a valid NBI Clearance together with other documents. Be sure that your NBI clearances are still valid or still not almost to expire.
Tax Records- You may do this ahead of time while waiting for the approval from the USCIS. This is one of the causes of the delay in our case. The legal assistants did not ask us to prepare while we were just in the waiting period. Your husband should get the latest 3 years tax transcripts and W2's if possible. My in-laws are my co-sponsors because my hubby was not earning enough not until last year. We also asked the tax records of my in-laws which took weeks before the Bureau of Tax sent it. Don't forget that if you have a co-sponsor, you will also need their birth certificates. They want to make sure that the sponsors are religiously paying their taxes.
Employment Letter/Certification-Remind your husband (and co-sponsor) to request from their company's Human Resources Department for an Employment Certification. It should include the name of your husband, title, date of employment and current salary (if salary is hourly, include the number of hours worked per week) signed by an officer of the company using the company's letterhead.
The days are going by so slow… the wait is unbearable. The unbearable part of it all is it could come any day now until whenever! So close yet so far. All I think about is this. I didn't expect the wait to be so difficult! I wish I can get over this stage this year. But I am willing to wait; it will be worth it because I know my husband is waiting for me at the other side of this planet. Oh well, I am still trying to be positive. Fingers crossed indeed!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Do You Need a Massage?
I just got home from having a massage. This is the third time I had massage in my lifetime. First one was with a college friend when I was in Manila last 2010. The first time that I got to be naked and felt really awkward seeing different girls naked while they were walking around an enclosed jacuzzi,sauna, or the shower area. I had my undies on because I have no guts to really flaunt everything. Second one was with my dear husband because he got a little bit scared to be left alone in a dark room half naked with a masseuse...Aww,Isn't that cute? The recent one today was with with my niece. She really needed a full body massage because she is under stress with the upcoming nursing licensure exam.
I had relatively moderate expectations today since me and my husband went to that same massage spa. Once I got inside the massage room, the lady told me to take off my clothes and wear the adjustable shorts that is being provided. Then I was seated and I had to wait a few minutes after changing until the masseuse put my feet inside a wooden steam foot barrel and covered it with a towel. They say the foot is like the root of a tree, connecting to every basic element in our body. However,it has long been ignored as people only focused on other parts of the body such as facial treatment, medical therapy even plastic surgery and you have just improved your appearance and it will not last long. But foot massage removes fatigue,replenish oxygen and energy,reduces stress,promotes better sleep, increase blood circulation and immunity.
I was asked to position by lying on my back and she started to massage my head, next my arms and legs. Then I laid on my stomach and she was doing my back. Towards the end of my massage session, she used tapotement, vibration and nerve stroke movements. I just wished during the body massage the largest amount of time is devoted to my back and shoulders which she failed to do, partly because my back represents a large part of my body, and partly because this is a very common place for people like me to accumulate tension. But to be fair, I experienced relaxation and rejuvenation in body, mind & I guess also with my spirit. They say weekly massage will make you look and feel years younger. So why not invest in yourself and in your health. It is more than just a luxurious way to relax. It is like having a mini vacation for an hour or two! :)
Relaxing after the massage session.
Tapotement-a massage technique that uses the edge of the hands, a cupped hands or the tips of the fingers to stimulate the back & the shoulder.
Have you had a massage lately? Do you know what massage will do for you? How does it feel during the session? How often do you get a massage?
I had relatively moderate expectations today since me and my husband went to that same massage spa. Once I got inside the massage room, the lady told me to take off my clothes and wear the adjustable shorts that is being provided. Then I was seated and I had to wait a few minutes after changing until the masseuse put my feet inside a wooden steam foot barrel and covered it with a towel. They say the foot is like the root of a tree, connecting to every basic element in our body. However,it has long been ignored as people only focused on other parts of the body such as facial treatment, medical therapy even plastic surgery and you have just improved your appearance and it will not last long. But foot massage removes fatigue,replenish oxygen and energy,reduces stress,promotes better sleep, increase blood circulation and immunity.
I was asked to position by lying on my back and she started to massage my head, next my arms and legs. Then I laid on my stomach and she was doing my back. Towards the end of my massage session, she used tapotement, vibration and nerve stroke movements. I just wished during the body massage the largest amount of time is devoted to my back and shoulders which she failed to do, partly because my back represents a large part of my body, and partly because this is a very common place for people like me to accumulate tension. But to be fair, I experienced relaxation and rejuvenation in body, mind & I guess also with my spirit. They say weekly massage will make you look and feel years younger. So why not invest in yourself and in your health. It is more than just a luxurious way to relax. It is like having a mini vacation for an hour or two! :)
Tapotement-a massage technique that uses the edge of the hands, a cupped hands or the tips of the fingers to stimulate the back & the shoulder.
Have you had a massage lately? Do you know what massage will do for you? How does it feel during the session? How often do you get a massage?
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