I was just talking to an old friend of mine.  We were buddies from years past, before I even went to the States.  We had not seen each other for quite sometime. Later on our conversation she found out that I am already a dual citizen. She was really happy for me. She then asked me about a conversation that she overheard while attending a party.

She was just puzzled about a visa thing, which she just didn’t know a thing about. She was then telling me the story.

“The lady was married here in the Philippines to a guy who is a former Philippine citizen and now an American citizen and lives in the States. The marriage was arranged just for the lady to get to the USA. They didn’t live together in the States. Almost a year after that  the lady was in the US, the guy came to the Philippines to visit his family. On that same time he met a lady that he was corresponding with on the net. He said that he really loves the lady and wanting to marry that lady that he just correspond with. He got the lady pregnant during that visit too. The guy wants to file annulment  from the lady he married first. As a lot of us know that it would take awhile or forever for the annulment to be final here in the Philippines. He really wants out from the sham marriage, but the problem is the wife she’s not yet on her 2 years stay in the States. The wife wants to visit the Philippines too even she’s not yet in the States for 2 years. She already had her “Green Card”. Can she travel here to the Philippines? I guess she’s worried to travel here to the Philippines that she might not be allowed to re-enter the US again.”

Just a thought and questions to the people that know here. We might have readers here with similar problems. My questions now:

Divorce

• Would the wife and husband be in trouble for the arrange marriage agreement?
• Is there quicker way out for them to get annulled?
• Can the wife travel here to the Philippines even she’s not yet in the States for 2 years?
• If they file for annulment should both of them be here in the Philippines for that?

Some couples will get married here in the Philippines, then, on filing the visa they will file “Fiancee Visa”. Like a friend I know wants to did like that. I told the lady that if you get married here you should not file the fiancee visa then. So they decided to just get married in the States then.

Sorry guys for asking for advice. I was just thinking about this fake marriages, it’s more rampant than I thought. I am just naive about this? I know with Bob and I before we have to go to Seattle for my interview for the 2 years stay. They asked our bank accounts and credit cards and if we had the same address. They video tape the interview and I’m pretty sure they studied that tape if both of us were faking on our answers. Maybe the immigration would give more leeway nowadays than with us before.

Can you imagine trying to stay marriage for 2 years. Can those personnel not see the reaction of both husband and wife? Like this people that I was talking about they didn’t live together and I’m sure they had some sign of discomfort with each other while talking. They have to be good in acting in-front of the immigration personnel.

Any advice regarding this matter really is welcome here. If anyone experience or knew someone that did have similar experiences feel free to share it here. I just don’t have the knowledge what to tell anyone that would ask me. I would really appreciate any words from you all.

Have fun getting your proper visa!

I was grocery shopping with my youngest son, Jared, today after registering him for the next school year Ateneo de Davao University. I promised him that I will buy him a drink as soon as we will be at NCCC mall. Which I did. NCCC  just walking distance from Ateneo.

While shopping we passed by an aisle where I saw candles. I immediately told Jared that I have to get some candles. I didn’t explain to him my purpose of buying the candle, I just grab a bunch of them and put it in our cart. In his mind I bought the candles for black out purposes. He was getting some and showing me one that would be better  for blackout because it will last longer. When I was getting into different colors and such, he was just puzzled. I told him my reasons for buying the candles for the graveyard of my sister and I will also include my mom, my dad and my brother-in-law. He looked at me with his raised up eyebrows and the word that uttered in his mouths was “HUH”. I could tell more questions ahead of me there. Which he did within just minutes after his shock.  He immediately asked why “he didn’t know that you had sisters that died a long time ago?”.

Candles for the dead

Here in the Philippines when someone died it’s our traditions (Catholics) to light the candles all through out the wake until the person that died be buried. Then after burial, there would be a 9 days prayer in the house. Candle (some light thing) should be lit 24/7 from the time the person died until 40th days of the passing. It might be regional, so I ‘m not sure of that. I will write more about traditions in our culture. Stay tuned for it. 

Wow, I was really caught off guard there. I never knew that my not telling him, it bothered him a little bit. I guess I don’t talk to him about my 3 siblings that died a long time ago because for me he is too young to be told about it. I guess I miscalculated my son. I thought he is not yet ready to hear it. I don’t really want to tell him because it just a sad thing. But I guess he is ready to hear it now. I’ve talked to Aaron and Jean a little bit about it. I will tell Chris slowly too, it will be hard for him too. But in time he will understand.

My other 2 siblings died before I was born, so not much to talk about it because I just know them. I just know them  from what my parents told me. My siblings that died, our oldest brother he died minutes after he was born, the second one my sister she was 3 years old. I can’t remember I think it was from a bad flu. The other sister she died when she’s 27 years old and I just graduated my grade school at that time. She was handicapped from polio when she was 3 years old. It was really hard on my parents and me when she died. Why hard on me because I’ve been with her ever since I can remember until she passed. Wow, It will be her death anniversary in a few days time. It’s going be 32 years then. Wow, that long ago already and it seems it was yesterday that we hung out together at our house in the farm. I remember teaching her how to read and write. She was learning a little bit from me. But she was learning a lot from few teachers that lives with us in our house. They were teachers in our town and by my parents generosity they were offered to live with us for free. My dad was just happy that the teachers were so eager to teach the kids in our barrio.

Remembering my sister also remembering my parents. It’s been 20 years since my dad passed away and 5 years for my mom. I am slowly telling Jared about my family that passed on. He is really interested to know more about my dad, since me my nieces and my sisters were talking about my parents when my sister’s were here at our house during the kids graduations. The kids were really wishing they saw my dad and they are more interested to hear about him since they know that my dad fought during WW2. Luckily they saw my mom before she died. They had good fun memories of her. They would always remember her in our yard planting flowers.

To my Dad, Mom and my siblings we love you. My kids will know more about you guys. You guys will not be forgotten. We will see you there later!

We’ve been living in our neighborhood for almost 3 years now. We really like our neighborhood and our surroundings. It’s really new that during night time its so quiet and peaceful. We hardly hear any blowing of car horn and tricycles. We really like it here a lot. It also is convenient for our kids to go to school, just a walking distance. When we first moved in here, right across the street living was the classmate of my youngest son Jared. They lived in the neighborhood for a long time. But just few months after we moved in they are moving out. They moved in to our old neighborhood to be near to their business. They lived there just across the street where we used to live.

The place that they left behind on our new neighborhood had been empty for a long time, until early this year. In that lot it sits 4 houses with I think one bedroom, bathroom and kitchen in every house. Really its like a compound. So I guess the new renter rented the whole compound and he rented out each houses individually. And one of the houses was rented to the workers of S & R wholesale store ( sister company of Costco in the States). These workers were kind of rude and rowdy. Well what do we expect with the drunkards people. They just don’t have the instinct to think that they have to be quiet during middle of the night. They’ve been loud almost every night. We are so looking forward when the S & R will be done and open. Hopefully these workers will be out of our neighborhood in no time. Just by listening to these workers they are not from here locally. I think they are from Luzon. I don’t think they will stay here for a long time. I think they just work here by contract term.

One thing they used to do was hanging out on our front yard sitting on the concrete near the gate. We don’t really like it because sometimes they left their garbage there. So just to avoid confrontation I put my thorny plants there for them to know not to sit there. Once in awhile I saw them sitting on some part of the yard. I will have to plant some more thorny plants again to occupy the whole concrete in our front yard.

When they first arrived on that house, boy they were so loud. They always had karaoke and drinking almost every night. Few weeks after them moving in I noticed that they were not so loud anymore and they are not staying that much outside. I had a feeling that they were told by our other neighbor to be quiet. See the house just across from us the owner, he is a lawyer. I’m not sure if those new neighbors were told to tone down  a bit because here in Davao you could get in trouble with being noisy past the wee hour of the night. That was just my hunch since all of a sudden the karaoke was stopped. If they were told by our other neighbor, I’m so happy for that. Really I think they know that our other neighbor just don’t put up with their BS. Most of our neighbors here were lawyers and judge. I’m just glad that I don’t have to tell these annoying neighbor what I think. Somebody already told them what we think of them.

How’s your neighbor? Feel free to share your experience with your neighbor!

Me and my son just got done voting today. Last time I voted here in the Philippines that was over 23 years ago.

That really was during my college days. I was a registered voter in Cebu City before, that’s were I first experienced my right to vote.

I remember the long line that we waited on that. But we were so patient because we were just so excited to vote. My cousin went with me at that time there.

Trouble Voting?

So today I really thought we could never vote. I got mine and the kids dual citizenship early last year. That same year me and Chris went to register to vote at the Comelec office, that was last October 2012. The people at the registration office told me to wait like about 3 months before our names be on the registration list on the web.

At the Polling Place

So like around end of January this year I started checking my name and my son’s name on the Comelec website (precincts finder).  On the Comelec site it says there that we are not yet registered. So I just waited a few more weeks and try again, same thing happened. Trying a few more times I finally just gave up until last night I checked the site before I went to bed. Same thing happened again. So in the morning I decided not to go vote because I just don’t want to be in the hot sun fighting out with other people looking for my name. My niece told me that it might be like what she experience last time, names not on the web but her name was on the precincts where she’s supposed to vote. So before mid-day today I finally decided to go with Chris for him to experience voting in the Philippines for the first time. I’m glad we did.

Our Voting Experience

Here is the proof – we voted

When we got to the school that we thought we are going to vote, we immediately went to the board were all the precincts number were posted. Our number was not on the list. Luckily lots of volunteers – young people – were really good and were ready to help out there. They told us where to go. I guess our precincts were on the other side of the campus on the high school side. So we have to walk  just a few hundred steps to be there. Finally we found the building it’s in the high school gym, it’s actually on the side of the building. Viola we found our name. So my niece immediately got a small paper from the volunteer person there, we have to write down our name and the voter’s number to be given to the person inside the voting place. After writing everything we were then ushered to our precincts room and starting to fall in line. When I saw the classroom I almost freak out it was full of people. Wow, have to wait for a long time. But thankfully we still had some chairs to sit down while other places they have to stand in line. So I just waited quietly there for our turn.

When the volunteer there found Chris had some disability we were ushered to the faster lane to vote. We then belong to the senior citizen, pregnant women or people with children. Wow it was quicker than I expected. Just within minutes after sitting down to that lane we were voting in no time. I had to help Chris out on his voting. I know some people that he wants to vote for. So it was easy and quick.

While voting, well really all throughout the election campaign I was thinking the Philippines should have 3-4 Senators in every island. Right now all the candidates were from Manila,  only 2 were from Mindanao not sure how many were from the Visayas. Looks like it might only 1 Mindanaoan  can make it to the senate. Hoping for more though.

Well, I’m glad election is over in this part of the world. It’s time for the winners to start working. Time also for the candidates winners and losers  to clean up the signs posted everywhere.

The start of the new beginning again in the Philippines.

Congratulations to the winners old and new of the election 2013. To our readers, one of them could be your family. So Congratulations to you all!

MABUHAY PHILIPPINES!!!

Been watching our television ever since the incident in Boston. Also in Texas. I’m just so saddened by the event, how could anyone do that kind of heinous crime. My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives there. While watching the event it really reminded me of the 9/11 tragedy. When they showed the smoke after the bombed exploded and people were running for safety it really made me think of the Twin towers when the debris and smoke were all over the place.

I was just thinking where on earth is the safest place to live. I know when I was growing up that we thought highly of America. Everyone wants to come and live in the States or the first world for that matter. Like the saying goes ” America is The Melting pot”. I know it still is safe today but just try to be on the look out, and always be aware of your surroundings. We used to lived in Vancouver, Washington USA.

Just after 9/11 tragedy I’ve heard on TV that a lot of those terrorists were having their training place near Portland, Oregon. It just less than 30 minutes away from where we used to lived. It was really a shocking thing to know. I’m pretty sure people there before didn’t think of who their next door neighbor was. I mean we say hi and just leave it at that. We don’t pry on the other people, but I think after 9/11, everyone now tries to know who is living next door to them. I remember on the news that some of them were also staying in Seattle. It would be scary to know that your next door neighbor was one of them.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Really living here in Mindanao, I guess it’s no different than any other place on the first world now. I would not say that they are safer there than us now. I remember people telling me or writing to me how could we sleep at night when Mindanao is not safe. At first it annoys me, but I got used to it and just laughed it off. A lot of them were telling me how in the world that Bob and I brought our kids to live in the chaotic and war zone area. Can you imagine hearing that statement a lot of times? It’s so hard to explaine to people who never set foot in this place and just judged it based on what they hear on the TV and the news. Can’t debate with narrow minded people who already concluded that Mindanao is like a war zone place like in the Middle East. I would say that there are certain areas in Mindanao that I would not advise for any people to visit without a guide or people you know there. Really it’s just like certain area in every city all over the world that the gangsters will hangout. You will not go there unless you have someone you know inside the group.

Watching the mom of the Boston Marathon bomber whining of how her son was treated in the States after what her sons did baffles me. I guess she thinks highly of her sons after what they did. I really thought her and her husband would be remorseful and feeling sorry for the people. But I didn’t see that from them, instead she keeps going on and on how her kids were the victims and the innocent ones. I had some opinion of her but I better keep it to myself though.

Anyway, I will just say that all of us will just keep our eyes open and on the look out always. Be aware of your surroundings. Know a little bit who the people living next to you.

BE SAFE EVERYONE!!!