Straight From The Heart

Moving Out of State

My sisters-in-law have all moved to different states, to Arizona and Idaho. Both of them are convincing us to move to their new state. Although I am flattered that one of them is even planning to buy a house for us, I still have to think hard before deciding to finally move.

One thing that I keep on reminding myself should I decide to move,  is that  most of my family and relatives are here or will be coming here to California and now I   am planning to move out of state? I don't like to move too far away because I would like all of us, my family and relatives to be just in one state so visiting each other wouldn't be such a hassle.  I also have to think about how the weather in those states are going to affect my family and my mother should we move there. In Tucson, Arizona, I feel that it is too hot over there while the weather in Idaho is a bit colder than California. Those kind of weather will be hard for my Mom if I get to petition her to come here next year.

Other concerns will be the expenses, plus the task of looking for another job in a new state, the stress and all that.

I don't think I can ever move out of California. Not unless something big really happens that will make me change my mind.

Have you ever moved out of state? What were your good and bad experiences when you did it ? Was it really worth it to go and pack your bags and live to somewhere new again?

Check Your Receipts

Do you ever check your receipts when you buy something, right after you leave the store? I sometimes do, and it was good because twice I shopped at ________  and found out that they have charged me more than what's on the tag. Twice I had to go back to ______ even if we were near to entering the freeway. I just had to go back. I know that it wasn't that much if they'll pay me back for the erroneous pricing but it's not my personality to just let things pass without saying or doing anything to correct it. I just had to tell them that something was wrong with what they billed me. It's wrong that I pay for something that's higher than the tag price, right? Yes, I understand that they there could have been a price revision or a price increase but it's their fault that they did not change those tags. It's the store's responsibility to change the tag prices on their items.

Imagine if you see an Ipod with a shelf price of $189 so you took it, happy and all that you got a good bargain but when you get to the cashier, it's actually priced $250?? It would be so upsetting, right? These stores ought to be more careful when they put their tags, but sometimes they think that if they do something wrong, the shopper will not give a hoot. But I do, and you should too.

So friends, when you buy something, take note of the shelf price, especially those things that do not have a tag price on the actual item like those grocery items, so that when you see the receipt, you'll see their discrepancies. If you see that they charged you higher, you can dispute that with the store manager or the customer service. It's not your fault, it's theirs.

Note: Noticed the _________ in place of the store name ? Well, a friend advised me not to name names so there, just had to leave that blank for now. Either way, just make sure you scan your receipts for mispriced, misrung items.

Insurance

Having an insurance had become a necessity in this world that we live in. Be it an auto insurance for your car, a homeowner's insurance for your home, for medical, dental, life and accidents, or even a travel insurance , securing one for your family's needs is very important. In many developed countries, there are just about every kind of insurance in the market that helps people have better sleep at night knowing that they are covered for fortuitous events by their insurance companies. These different types of insurance will help policyholders cushion the impact of unexpected accidents and they certainly lessen the otherwise huge bill that they will shoulder had they not been insured.

Securing and getting your insurance quotes these days are just a click away. For those who are not yet in the loop, you can now have these free quotes from insurance companies by just visiting their websites and applying online. For UK residents, you can go to Nations Finance  and apply to get your fast, free, multiple quotes from different leading insurance companies, all in one site. 

Payday Loans

Are you in need of money and payday is still days away? Here in the land of Uncle Sam, there are companies who will readily lend you money when you are cash-strapped. Among them are these so-called payday loans or cash advances.  New immigrants like me and others who have stable jobs but are sometimes in dire need of money to send to their loved ones back in their home country will certainly benefit from these payday loans.

A payday loan or cash advance is a quick and easy way to bridge your cash needs between pay days without a credit check. It is a small short-term loan that can range from $100 up to $1,500. The money can be electronically deposited and repaid from your checking account on mutually agreed upon dates.

There are lots of companies which offers payday loans and there's  No Fax Payday Loans , where you can even apply online and there's no need to fax them anything. Just go to their website and fill up the application and they will connect you to a lender. If you are unsure of the estimated payments, their site have this payday loan fee calculator which gives the prospective borrower the chance to see the multiple quotes on their payday loans. Having this loan calculator will give you an idea of just how much your loan will be on estimated dates and estimated interest rates.

So if you are experiencing a financial crunch, no relatives and friends to lend you money, worry not of where to go because you can always go to No Fax Payday Loans.

This is what's great with living in America, companies are always willing to lend you money. :)

A Thanksgiving I Enjoyed

It was Thanksgiving yesterday, I ate turkey and you know what was the  most amazing  thing that happened? I actually enjoyed it! After three years, this is the only time I can say I was able to appreciate the taste of turkey. Hahaha,isn't that funny, after three long years? It took me that long, huh? Others might be laughing at me, but yes, it's true. I can honestly say that this year is the only time I was able to actually enjoy the taste of turkey! Blame it on the 36 years of eating chicken , I couldn't take anything but chicken then hehehe...

By the way, we didn't prepare the turkey but just ordered it from Safeway, costs us only 45.00 dollars and it already has everything like the mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie, yam and of course , the turkey, the most important item of them all. It's going to be a Safeway turkey dinner again next year and next and next .

So that's it, I just wanted to share that yes, I enjoyed the turkey dinner, finally.  Thank you, Safeway hehehe...

   

Thanksgiving

Today we were dismissed from work early since it's going to be Thanksgiving tomorrow and everyone is all agog preparing for this very special day. It is going to be a two-day (Thursday and Friday) holiday all over the US and if there's one thing to be thankful on Thanksgiving, it's this two days-off from working and toiling. (Yay!)

Thanksgiving is America's preeminent day. It is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday in the month of November. It has a very interesting history. Its origin can be traced back to the 16th century when the first thanksgiving dinner is said to have taken place. ( Read more from Thanksgiving-day.org )

And since it's thanksgiving, of course it's going to be turkey time again ! Most people like turkey but not all Asians like it, my Vietnamese friend doesn't like it, neither does her family and neither do I. But I respect this American tradition so I try to eat some turkey too during Thanksgiving feasts.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

GMA7's Marimar ( Filipino Version)

Hey, did you know that most Filipinos in the USA also watch Marimar of GMA7 ?  My cousin and her husband from Arizona came to California this week to visit his relatives in Daly City and she was surprised that all of them were watching the show, even the males in their household. And when she came over to our place, I was also watching it. My coworker Minda also watches it and if she missed it, she'd ask me what was the latest episode, what had happened to Marimar.

Marimar has gotten all of us hooked.

I love watching this show, rather than watch the ridiculous Kokey of ABS-CBN or Judy-Ann's Ysabella. But sometimes I miss Marimar due to the fact that my husband sometimes watches Cops in the living room TV then my two-year old watches PBS Sprouts on the other TV, just  when it's time for my Marimar. I think these two guys here are in cahoots with each other so that poor Mommy won't be able to see Marimar. It was a good thing that every Saturday, GMA7 thru  Comcast   runs a Marimar marathon, all episodes that were shown for the whole week are shown again back to back to back. 

Even when I missed the Marimar Marathon during Saturdays, there's YouTube to go to and my, they almost have the complete series of Marimar. By the way, kudos to all these people who patiently upload the Marimar series to Youtube ! Thanks to you brothers and sisters. Many thanks most especially to  Tribalengel who's my favorite Marimar uploader.

Waahahah, Marimar, Marimar, lagi na lang bang si Marimar ???

P.S.

Before I forget, even if I like the series, sometimes there just are some scenes that could have been done better but I guess that's the typical Filipino director at the helm. I just hope that in the future, directors will treat us like the intelligent viewers that we are.

Wasted Treats

It's Halloween, past 9pm in the evening and so far the number of trick-or-treaters that dropped by our apartment is, ...  ZERO.

Not even one shadow of a cutie ghost came to visit us. This is the second year that we bought treats for the kids but it's so sad and a bit humiliating ( hahaha, it really is if you'll ask me ) that nobody came. I shouldn't have spent a penny for this Halloween event. The chocolates we bought should and would probably all be eaten by my sweet-toothed husband who likes chocolates so much that I can't believe it.

Now anyway, where did all those children go? On regular days, I see them playing and hollering on the front lawn but not today nor tonight. Just when you needed them , they are nowhere to be found.

Anyways, kids or no kids around, Happy Halloween to all of you !!!

Building Your Credit in the USA

A friend of mine called me up some months ago and we got to talk about all sorts of things, about life and all then she mentioned about how she doesn't have a credit card since she's used to paying in cash. I understand how she felt about staying away from creating future  credit card debts but I advised her that she should get started now with a credit card company because that's one way of building our credit here in the USA. Besides if you know how to properly manage your credit card , you wouldn't be in the same rut with the millions of Americans who have credit card debts.

Because I grew up in the Philippines, I too, am not much of a believer in credit cards because I want to pay everything in cold cash, add to the fact that credit cards can be stolen and you know if that happens, it can be such a hassle, plus I do not want the interests they charge, imagine about 24% if you are a newbie on credit cards. I too, wanted to live without having to worry about these things but I soon found out that things are different here. I need to establish my own credit history so I had no choice but to get started on getting my own plastic card, among other things. I found out that my credit history and my credit score will play a big part on my life here.

For people who have not yet started establishing their own credit, you will need it in the scenarios I will mention below:

when you want to get your very own credit cards ( because it makes you pay later for things, luxuries you cannot afford to pay right now )

when you try to get your own apartment lease

when you want to get your own house, your own condo.

when your spouse's credit isn't enough and the creditors will need an additional guarantor

when you want to get your very first car

when you get divorced or worst, you suddenly lost your spouse

when you apply for an insurance coverage ( medical, dental or car insurance )

What I did to personally establish my own credit was to put all our bills in my name. I also got two credit cards ( which I admit has a higher interest rate since I am a newcomer in this "charging" business.) I also opened my own bank account. I do not worry much about having lots of unpaid loans on my credit cards because I know myself when it comes to spending. Just the other day, I took out my two credit cards from my wallet and decided not to bring it with me anywhere so I will not be tempted to use them.

So to my friends who just got here in the USA, if you have not yet done anything to build your own credit, start establishing your credit now before it's too late, I mean who knows what the future will bring, right? It won't hurt to start being creditworthy now but it will definitely hurt you a lot in the future if you're not.

The Dollar versus the Peso

One time I had this conversation with my coworker Gracie. She was griping about how she had a disagreement with her elder sister when she called her in our beloved Philippines, my Philippines. She was mad at how her sister was egging her about sending her 100 dollars, anyway, as her Ate said, "it's just 100 dollars, Grace, ano ba naman yon dyan ?". Grace was mad that they do not realize how a hundred bucks meant to her considering that she is a single mom and nobody helps support her three-year old daughter and she has a lot of bills to pay too.

As she kept ranting about this, I realized this, people from the Philippines do not actually know what 100 dollars meant to the Filipino earners in the US. I mean I for one thought it doesn't mean a lot but when I got here, my whole understanding of the value of the dollar changed. It's like this, if you will compare 1 peso versus 1 dollar, the one peso in the Philippines cannot buy a liquid hand soap, but here in the U.S., with one dollar you can. Our 100 dollar here can go a long way as compared to the Philippines 100 pesos. So folks, hindi sya , " one hundred dollars lang ". Hindi po siya one hundred dollar lang dahil in truth, madami na po kaming mabibili dito nyan kesa ipadala sa mga nanghihingi na ipang iinom lang dahil birthday nila.

To illustrate further, a 100 dollar can already buy or pay for  :

10 pieces of Levi's T-shirts at 10 dollars a piece

or 10 boxes of Mangoes at 8.99 a box ( may sukli pa yan )

or 10 or more different kinds of meat packages ( pwera kung tri-tip or mga prime steaks ha ? )

or 2 months of my electric bill at $45.00 a month

or 1 month of Cable bill at $93.00

or 100 items from the Dollar store

and the list is endless...

Before you go asking for dollars from your relatives here, try thinking if the person can manage shelling out 100 bucks, because she may also need it herself. Or better yet, ask yourself first because if you can survive not asking help from others, why bother? Kung latest model lang ng cellphone or pang bili ng bagong damit, baka naman pwedeng ipostpone mo yan. Maybe the person may not send you what you are asking for anyway, and baka mag iba pa tingin nya sayo di ba? Kung emergency okay lang. The most hurting thing is knowing you send somebody your hard-earned money and he just spends it on a drinking spree, or on a shopping spree and they go bragging to people that they have money but it's money that they did not work for, di nila alam, yung magulang or kapatid nila dito, hirap na hirap kitain yung 100 dollar na pinadala sa kanila. Kakaawa nga ang iba dito eh, lalo na matatanda. Then sometimes the people they send money to would tell them, "one hundred dollars lang naman yon, para yon lang parang ang laki na nang pinadala mo. Kulang pa nga eh. " Kakahurt yan ha? Mahirap po kitain ang dolyar dito. Kala nyo lang hindi, pero that is the truth and nothing but the truth.

So think before you ask...

Manila Mango ???

During lunch last Friday, my Vietnamese friend took out a ripe mango from her bag and told me that it is a Manila mango. I looked at it and said, " I don't know Ha-Le but there has never been a Philippine mango ever around in the U. S. and this doesn't look like a Philippine mango to  me. " She said it was Manila mango. I don't know what Manila mango meant. Does it mean it came from the Philippines or it's just a name like the manila paper? Since she said it came from County Square I decided to check it out and  buy one box too. It was also sweet but a different kind of sweetness, it tasted a little , just a little bit like a ripe Indian mango.

When we got to County Square, there it was " Manila Mango, 12.99 a box " . I examined the box and it was not from the Philippines. It was a produce of Mexico. I wonder why they called it Manila mango then. Were they just using the Manila word to confuse people that it's from the Philippines ?  Anyway I Googled it and tumbled upon this   Manila Mango article from ABS-CBN .

It's just unfair that they are using our beloved Manila name. They should see how better and sweeter our Philippine mango is , especially the ones from Guimaras. My husband said just now that there already is super mango from the Philippines in L.A. I found out that this is the Super Mango that they know of and not the Super Mango ( carabao mango ) from the Philippines.

When is my beloved Philippine Mango finally coming in to America ? If it finally comes to Filipino stores all over states of America, I bet you, it would be mango mania for all of us Pinoy mango lovers. That would be absolutely heaven !!!

(in the picture is the Champagne mango, the one box that I bought, it's  a produce from another country, not the Philippines.)

 

 

Philippine Mangoes Now Exportable to the U.S.

From the U. S. Embassy Website : 

U.S. Embassy Photo Release
April 10, 2007

More Philippine Mangoes Now Exportable to the United States;
President Arroyo and Ambassador Kenney Tour Mango Plant

In a March 28 ceremony at the Hi-Las mango processing and packing plant in Taguig City, U.S. Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney and Philippine Agricultural Secretary Arthur Yap presented President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with the signed Work Plan for the export of mangoes to the United States...

The Work Plan allows for increased export of Philippine mangoes, permitting mangoes from all provinces in the Philippines, except Palawan, to be exported to Hawaii and Guam...

Upon the request of the Philippine Government and as outlined in the agreement, a USDA inspector is currently visiting the country to certify the vapor heat treatment process at three local mango processing plants...

The Philippines can also export mangoes from Guimaras Island to all parts of the United States, including the mainland, after vapor heat treatment...

Due to the presence of certain pests on other mango-growing islands, only mangoes from Guimaras are exportable to the United States mainland...

Please visit the  Manila US Embassy   website for a complete copy of the article.

I have been trying to find the US embassy's link for this article but the link I found doesn't work, the embassy's site must be under maintenance or something but I will keep trying. I do not want to feature  the whole copy-pasted article here lest I be accused of plagiarism or copyright infringement... :( 

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I beg to differ with the said article because I have not seen a single Philippine mango sold here in Concord, California. I have been scouring the Filipino and Oriental stores here but no luck so why are they saying that more Philippine mangoes are to be exported here when there had never been any in the first place ???

Oh where, oh where are the mangoes, I want a genuine Philippine mango not the Mexican kind !

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Happy Mother's Day !!!

This morning at 1:51 AM, I got an "Unknown" call. Thinking it was an overseas call from the Philippines, I decided to take the call. At my first hello, there was just silence. Another hello and the caller, a woman, whispered in a raspy voice, " I wanna kill you... " I hung up before I hear anything more. Ngee, now somebody wants me dead??? She actually had the nerve to dial my number again but I did not answer anymore. I thought she'd leave a voicemail but she did not.

I was wondering who that could be but after wracking my brain for anybody who might have done it, I decided it was just some lonely lady who randomly dials a number coz she wants some attention. If I wasn't too stunned though, I would have actually said, " I want to kill you too for waking me up so early in the morning !!! "

P.S.

What a way to start Mother's Day huh? Well, anyway before I forget, Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers like me. I hope we have a grand day celebrating our special day.

American Slang

It was May 27, 2005 that I came here in the States. This May, it will be my second year here but there are just some more American terms I have yet to get used to like :

• saying "I'm good " when somebody asks me how I am. I feel like good should only be used to denote a trait like bad boy, good girl, that kind of thing. I usually just say, "I'm fine, thank you " as we all have been taught in school.
• saying " Have a good one ". I feel it's not a complete sentence, like it lacks something... like a good "what" ?  I feel much better if I say " have a good day/ evening".
• hearing " talk to you later" or "see you later" .  When somebody tells me "talk to you later" , I ask myself, " will they be talking to me again later today or when ?? " Just doesn't make sense to me. Later for me means later today, not tomorrow, or the following month or what later for them means.
• replying to the question, "What's up? ". The sun? Some american terms doesn't make sense to me sometimes :)

Click here for  more  of those slang words .

Oh well, for lack of better things to do...

Had a Slight Quake...

We had a quake with a 4-point something just moments ago at 8:40 in the evening. The glass window rattled for about six seconds. I thought somebody was jumping so hard that was causing the windows to rattle but realized that it was an earthquake. Husband ran out immediately with John while I was torn between getting my bag and some of John's things when the ground stopped shaking to my relief.

This is what I really hate about living here in California, the thought that any moment there might be a quake . They always say a BIG ONE is coming but I hope it never comes in my lifetime, or in my child's or better yet, I hope it never comes at all.

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees Here ...

Money doesn't grow on trees here ...

Yes, that is true. Before, when I was in the Philippines, I used to think that people who live in America never run out of money ... Hahahah, yeah that is true, I mean I thought before that they never have any problems financially. Then I came here. I see my fellow Filipinos working two jobs a day just to make both ends meet. I see them work hard, because they have mortgages, car bills, utility bills, insurance, property taxes and lots more of things to pay for and not enough money. Some are in the brink of bankruptcy because they are suddenly laid off from work and had credit cards debt pile up. Some have two mortagages to pay for. Some are going to sell their homes to transfer to an apartment since they just can't pay the bills anymore. I see old people working at Walmart, or babysit someone's kid, or take care of elderly people when she in fact should also be retiring.  And it is sad that their relatives in the Philippines do not know that. They think money grows on trees here, that the streets are gilded with gold. They think that the money being sent to them was not "pinagpaguran" which is really sad. They don't know that we really work hard to earn that money, "dugo't pawis yan".

Well I know , not all Filipinos are hard-up as some that I have mentioned. Maybe some are living pretty comfortable lives here like the Filipina nurses but not all are lucky, not all of our kababayans who come here are highly-paid like the nurses. Not all have high-paying jobs.

So if you have families, relatives over here, take it easy when you ask for "help". I am very lucky to say that my family and relatives never ask anything from me, coz they know my situation but not everybody has families like mine. I hear stories from my coworkers when they help a relative, another one will go calling to ask too. And more sad because they are asking for money to buy a cellphone. I mean is that a need ?  It's just sad you know, we also have our problems here and we have nobody to turn to unlike when we are in our own country. Well, of course, all Filipinos would want to help out their families and relatives, send money, send all the little things we have here  but sometimes we can't.. We want and we will, but give us a little more consideration.. Don't ask money from your Auntie from 'Tate just to buy the latest cellphone model ..Don't ask money from your Uncle if you will just be wasting it on booze..it's just not fair because money doesn't grow on trees here.

 

Inapi ako ng USCIS

I browsed my Friendster friend Fepsi's profile and found out that she already has her greencard after filing last November 29, 2006. Now that is what I call quick, fast and easy. Imagine in less than two months, she got her greencard ? Waahhh, bakit ako ang tagal as in from July 16 2005 to May 12, 2006??  Wow , ang tagal sa kin ha as in ang  feeling ko talagang inapi ako ng USCIS huh ? Mantakin nyong tagal nung hinintay ko compared kay Fepsi ??? This is not fair, your honor, mag dedemanda ako ( hehehe as if huh ? )...

Just kidding. In fairness naman, siguro results differ depending where you're at and where you filed.  Others who filed their Adjustment of Status ( that's how you obtain your permanent resident status by the way ) didn't even have interviews like my friend Nadine from Georgia. They just had their fingerprinting/ Biometrics and gave some proofs of their marriage and that was it, after a while, they were approved and given their "greencard".

To Fepsi, congratulations, galing mo Neng. Mas love ka pala ni Lord kesa sa kin huh as in ang bilis ng mga pangyayari. The next step would be the lifting of conditional status para talagang residents na tayo of the US of A... ( at saka bigyan mo na yan ng anak si Marky Mark hehehe ) 

Mga Kaeng-engan sa USA

Hay naku, after a long day at work, eto pagdating sa bahay, kuha ng mails si Husband. Pagbukas nya ng isang sobre, andun, may penalty daw kami kasi nagbayad ng late sa rent.

"What, totoo ba yang sinasabi mo ?? Patingin nga .." and there nabasa ko nga na may penalty na $25.00 . Bumunot ako ng matinding buntong hininga bago ako nagsalita...

" Are they kidding me ?? Anong late ang sinasabi nila na nagbayad nga tayo ng a-kwatro, at hindi after the 5th. And nung a-uno pa nga dapat kaso yung manager nila na inassign dito eh laging wala sa office !! Kung after the 5th tayo nag bayad eh yun ang may penalty "

"Bakit nila tayo ipepenalty if we paid them before the 5th. Wag nga nila tayong pinagluluko, kesyo ba Pinoy tayo ?? We're not fools you know " .

Pagtingin ko sa date when they encashed our check, it was on the 17th. Kya siguro chinacharge kami ng late fees. Eh kasalanan ko ba if they encashed it on the 17th when we gave it to them on the 4th ??? Sus me, kakagigil ha? Minsan a-uno pa lang, nagbibigay na kami ng upa but it will take them about 3 weeks to encash our payment tapos now kami pa ang ipepenalty ? Mga hunghang ba sila ?? Husband told me that things like this happens, not just to us .

" But this is America,  Ney . Di ba dapat matatalino mga tao dito ? Ano ba to, kala ko the best na ang mga andito, simpleng simple lang di muna nila idouble check their copy of the receipts bago nila sabihing late ito, charge natin tong renter na to. "

Baka naman kasi mga highschool graduate na naman lang ang mga office staff ng opisinang ito kaya may pagka eng eng? Hay  naku, humanda sila pag nagpunta ako sa office nila, I have proofs you know. Ayaw na ayaw ko pa naman nagagalit, sabi nga ni Incredible Hulk, "please don't make me angry, you won't like me when I'm angry..... "

And di pa dyan natatapos ang mga kapalpakan ng araw na to...

Eto pa, I checked my bank transactions, sabi dun ng isang item, CUSTOMER WITHDRAWAL ... $10.00. Di ako mapakali so I called the customer service, sabi nagwithdraw daw ako sa Concord Salvio. Huh? Ako nag withdraw eh di ko pa nga nagagamit tong atm card na to sa kahit anong ATM machine?? Ano yun, nagwithdraw ako na tulog ? As in I swear, di ko pa nga to natetest kahit sa anong ATM machine kasi hiya ako na magtry hahahha...(now you know ) I tried calling the Salvio branch but it was already closed. So eto ako ngayon, till now, iniisip ko pa what exactly happened there. As in pati tuloy ako gusto kong magduda na baka nga nag withdraw ako pero never eh, sure ako.. I have some cash and checks to deposit but we don't have the time to go to the bank yet so di talaga ako nagpunta dun.

Hay naku, hay naku , bakit kayo ganyan ??? Ang ganda ganda ng uwi ko biglang pumangit ang gabi ko.

Kaya Pilipinas, di ka nag iisa... Kung may mga nakakainis na mga pangyayari dyan, dito sa pinaka the best na bansa ng mga Amerikano eh meron ding mga kapalpakan. 

Update Jan 23, 2006:

- The bank made an error so they put the $10.00 back to my account.

- The apartment manager will not charge us of any late payments and was sorry for their mistake..

Sus me, kung di pa pala kami magreklamo eh.. ano ba yan ??? 

Real Cold Here

It's been real cold, cold,cold here in Concord these past weeks. I can't believe the too chilly weather everytime we go out. I wish we wouldn't go out anymore but well we have to, got to have money for the bills.

Poor John has been having a cold intermittently, it comes and goes then back again :) ... And poor me finally caught it too... I seldom catch the cold bug but when I do, shucks, it does stay for awhile. Right now my eyes are burning, my nose is running and I just keep on sneezing.. I'm feeling sick already yet still blogging eh? I don't know , I just need somebody to talk to I guess, even for just a little while..

Okay, I think I better take that much-needed rest now before my husband wakes up and find me still up.

P. S

I wonder how it is living in places in snowy areas. If I can't stand the biting cold here, how much more if I lived there ??

Holiday Melancholia

At long last, the holiday rush is over. Literally, it was a rush for me, everything I did was in a rush, wrapping presents due in the morning, emailing ecards, sending messages to my friends in my messenger list. But finally it was over and done with. Everything I needed to do was done just in time before Christmas eve kicked in.

Anyway, while it was Christmas eve in the Philippines , it was December 23rd here in the States. Since it was just a day before Christmas eve, there was nothing much to do so we just watched TV. Me and my husband watched an orchestra band playing lots of christmas carols. It was fun to watch and listen to their lively music but it somehow made me blue . I turned to look at my husband, noticed he looked sad too so I joked, said " Uh, oh, Daddy looks sad now " , went over to him to give him a hug but as I did I found myself crying. I didn't realize I needed the hug much more than my husband did. I just lost it you know, I was teasing him but didn't admit it that I was the one lonely deep inside. Husband's been here for eight years already and I've been here for only a year and a half so it was much more sad for me. I know that my family in the Philippines are all together, preparing for a noche buena and we're here just the three of us. It was too lonely and it just got me crying.

I used to look forward to Christmasses, it's actually my favorite time of the year but now that I'm here far far away from my family in the Philippines, I don't know. Suddenly I wish Christmas would not come at all. I just know that I will never be happy here during Christmas coz it aint Christmas when your family isn't there to celebrate with you.

Nay ko... Ang Lamig Naman ...

Nay ko po,  ang lamig lamig naman dito ... Hirap gumising pag umaga. Parang gusto ko na lang mamaluktot sa sobrang ginaw. Araw araw na lang pag may pasok hirap bumangon. Wala pang snow yan huh? Isipin ko na lang kung may snow eh di ko kayang isipin, baka di na ako bumangon sa aking pagkakahiga pag nagkataon hahaha. Buti na lang alang snow sa California..

P. S.  May heater kami pero bawal mainitan ang aming unico hijo, aatakihin kasi sya ng kanyang eczema ...( ewan ko ba , sa Pilipinas wala namang mga ganito ang mga bata ... )   

============================================================

December 26, 2006

Finally John's rashes have cleared up, that Indian doctor was really good huh? Right after she gave us a new medication, it immediately took effect and cleared John's rash. Thought I can now use the heater but then husband began complaining of headaches everytime we used it . Ano ba to, ang gulo ng mag-ama ko ??? So wala, kumot na lang ang panlaban sa lamig ...

Ang Turkey at si...

Thanksgiving Day nung Thursday here, we went to my sister-in-law's house but hay naku, I did not eat anything kasi di ko naman type ang turkey. Wala namang lasa kasi, pati nga yung timpla nila dito nung gravy medyo walang lasa masyado so ginawa ko nagmukmok na lang me and anyways I wasn't really feeling too well due to an upset stomach. When we were about to go home my sister-in-law gave us turkey to take home sans gravy.

After a day, Husband said I really should taste the turkey we brought home since it also tastes good. I knew that isn't true but I decided to eat it coz I wouldn't want it to go to waste. Since there wasn't any gravy around, I decided to use Mang Tomas sauce.

Hesitant to take a bite, I did take a little bite but imagine my amazement when Wow, biglang sumarap yung lasa ng turkey. Naging lechon manok yung lasa dahil kay Mang Tomas All Purpose Sauce!! So okay from now on, kakain na ako ng turkey pero I will use my Mang Tomas, care ko sa kanila kung magreact react sila heheheh... Di hamak talagang mas masarap ang sauce natin from the Philippines kaya dapat talaga Buy Filipino noh? ( Next thanksgiving iintroduce ko sa kanila si Mang Tomas , tingnan ko nga kung di nila magustuhan yon hehehe...)

P.S

Uhmn, di ko nga pala sure if yung gravy dito eh nilalagay sa turkey kasi yung gravy ng KFC eh sa mash potato daw yun nilalagay :) San nga ba nila nilalagay ang gravy ??? Ah ewan,  wa ako care kahit san pa nila yun ilagay basta sa Pinas, sa fried chicken namin yun nilalagay , di ba mga friends ??

Living in the USA 101 (Part 2)

1. Bawal umihi sa tabi- tabi, madaming restrooms dito since almost all business establishments provide these comforting rooms.. :)
2. When you pay bills, buy food, groceries,  you can do it by credit card, debit card or checks, bihira yata ang cash gamitin dito. Pwede ka din bayad online.. or thru phone .. (c) 2005- Charina Neo- all rights reserved
3. Ang pulubi dito ang tawag "homeless".. sosyal ang dating di ba?
4. Ang homeless dito ang dala-dala hindi homemade kariton tulad ng mga nasa Pinas, ang dala ng mga homeless dito eh grocery carts ng Safeway, Walmart at kung ano anong carts ng mga tindahan...
5. You have to undergo a credit check when you want to lease a house, buy a car etc..
6. Cable teevee, internet and landline phone can be covered by just one company para isang bill na lang di ba?
7. Kailangan may auto insurance ka just in case mabangga ka or makabangga ka. Karamihan naman meron , bihira lang dito ang walang auto insurance..
8. During elections or if they are promoting something, you can never see any flyers or ads pasted on the fences, walls . They make theirs with a kind of stem or peg so they just kinda "plant" it on the ground. That way madali lang nilang alisin ...
9. Apartments are already equipped with a fridge, a stove, a heater, airconditioning unit and a dishwasher... dadalhin mo na lang ang sariling ititira mo dun..
10. Ay naku, bigtime dito ang excuse me, thank you, you're welcome, ano pa bang mga words of courtesy? basta dapat magalang ka dito , di uubra na iismile ka na lang .. dapat iwords mo talaga, like " you're welcome Chari" .
11. Bawal pala dito magcomment - comment kasi baka mademanda ka ng sexual harassment . O di ba , bongga ?  Kasama to sa sexual harrassment. Di mo pedeng sabihin na ang pangit naman ng damit mo.. or kahit pabiro di ka pedeng magtanong na " bakla ba si ----- ? " Kasi di mo alam baka isumbong ka ng kabiruan mo.. true yan ha, believe me, nsa employee handbook namin..
12. Ang pagpabinyag madami pang kuskos balungos, kesyo seminar na apat na session, dapat registered parishioner ka ng church where you will have the christening, dapat yung ninong ninang Catholic , minsan hihingian pa nila ng mga certification from their parishes ...
13. Ang mails dito eh nakalagay lang talaga sa mailbox, di ninanakaw. Minsan pag mga boxes or parcels ang delivery, they will just leave it on your porch. If you want to send out mails without going to the post office, you can also do it by just leaving your mail clipped on the outside of your mailbox, meaning it's for the mailman to pick up..
14. There are no sales clerks to follow you around when you shop.. Kya ayun pag may kailangan ka, todo hanap ka muna or punta ka sa customer service kasi dun mo lang sila makukuha.. Hindi sila dito malambing sa customer... di tulad sa Pinas na kulang na lang eh punasan ka ng pawis or paypayan ka heheheh... tuwang tuwa nga yung kaibigan kong namili nung umuwi sya dyan sa PInas kasi talaga daw na asikasong asikaso sya. Of course naman ganon tayong mga pinoy , talagang customer service in the real sense of the word...
15. Sympre ang daming sales events dito pag may mga holiday, pero almost every weekend yata eh sale dito sa US pero yung talagang mga big sales eh during or after the holidays, like ganitong Thanksgiving, daming sale na naman.. kung mainggitin ka eh malamang maubos ang savings mo kabibili ng kung ano ano..
16. Ang soda dito eh free refills lagi kahit ilang ulit kang bumalik balik sa soda fountain or kahit ilang ulit kang mag order, no extra charge yun. Di tulad sa Pinas di ba, pag bottomless may additional charge.
17. In America, even men exchange I love you's , no kidding here. I know it would seem weird to Filipinos but really they say that to each other like, " I love you,man!" then they would hug. Sweet noh?

Okay next issue naman uli ang iba bago maging mini-novela ang entry ko.  :)

Medical Bills...

Just when I thought I can finally rest my mind from the bills coming in, my hand held another one from John's doctora when he had his shots. My gas, aapat lang na immunization shots $170? May insurance pa yan huh? Hay naku, ano ba naman? Di ko pa nga nababayaran yung doctor's fee na $116 nung nag emergency si Mr. Bocito Jr, eh eto na naman yung isa. At iba pa dyan yung binayaran kong emergency fee amounting to $375 huh ?  Pedialyte lang ang binigay sa anak kong nagsusuka at nagtatae eh magbill ba naman sa min ng 5oo dollars something? Buti na lang may Blue Cross insurance so medyo bumaba sa $375.00. Mantakin nyo yung pedialyte eh ten dollars lang yata tapos ganon kalaki ang bill ??? Simpleng pagtatae lang at pagsusuka na eto naman si Mama Chari eh may- I- sugod naman sa emergency yun pala pedialyte lang ang remedy. Kakatawa di ba ? Umabot sa $491.00 simpleng simple lang ang gamot?

Imaginin nyo na lang kung talagang yung matitinding mga sakit ang tumama at kelangan magstay sa hospital ng several days , gaano na kaya kataas ang babayaran ko nun? Hinde, hindi ko maimagine. I hope and I pray nobody in my family gets into any serious ailment kasi sobrang taas ng healthcare cost dito , di ko carry :(

Kaya dito sa US ang slogan eh " we can't afford to be sick" .  Sa Pilipinas ang translation nyan eh, "bawal ang magkasakit"  . Tama di ba, Senator Legarda?

My Homemade Rain

Kakamiss ang ulan sa Pilipinas noh? Ako miss na miss ko ang ulan sa Pinas. Yun bang sound sa bubong na yero na ang lakas , kaya feel na feel mo mamaluktot at magtalukbong ng kumot sa sobrang lamig ? Hay naku Inay, wala po nyan sa states :) buti na lang I found out na pwede ko palang marinig uli ang lovely sound of the rain pattering on the roof sa pamamagitan ng .... dyaraan...pagbubukas ng shower na pagkalakas lakas at maupo ka sa iyong mahal na  trono ... habang bumubuhos ang ulan, este ang tubig galing sa shower eh feeling mo grabe ang buhos ng ulan sa labas... :) hahaha ang nangyayari  tuloy eh  lalo akong nilalamig at parang ayaw ko nang maligo...

And that is how I try to listen to the sound of rain... galeng - galeng !!!

(nababaliw na yata ako ?? )

Malungkot dito sa America ...

Magki Christmas na naman pala, grabe, kakalungkot huh? Ewan ko ba, kinukurot pa din puso ko pag may mga celebrations dito like Christmas at New Year. I've been here for a year and a half but I still do miss Pinas, my family, my relatives and friends. Basta everything about the Philippines miss ko. I even miss the traffic jam, the jeeps. Pati ulan. Opo, ang tunog ng ulan sa bubong namin.. Mantakin nyo yun, pati ulan namiss ko ??

Ewan ko ba, it still feels empty to be here kahit sabihin pang America to. I do admit, mas maganda nga dito mamuhay, mas maayos, wala kang masyadong problema. Di mo problema ang mundo dito, ibig kong sabihin eh, di mo masyadong poproblemahin ang problema ng iba, yung ekonomiya, yung kung ano-anong sob stories ng mga kamag-anak mo. Dito cool lang lagi. Kahit nga sabihin na dito paycheck to paycheck lang ang kinabubuhay ng ibang tao, eh maalwan pa din mamuhay dito. Makaka afford ka pa din ng kotse mo, ng maayos na tirahan na carpeted na, with hot and cold water pa.

Pero ewan ko ba ha, bakit malungkot pa din minsan ang Pinoy dito kahit ganon? Pag tinatanong ko nga ang lahat ng kakilala kong Pinoy, mas masarap pa din daw mamuhay sa Pilipinas. Kahit nga ba isang plastic ng tinapa lang ang dinner ng mga Pilipino minsan eh masaya pa din. Kahit Ligo sardines lagi ang ulam, or itlog na maalat , wala masaya pa din di ba ? Sguro kasi present ang pamilya natin dyan, ang mga kamag-anak, kapitbahay. Eh dito wla, sinong kapamilya ko dito? Ang lalayo, 8 oras bago mo mapuntahan or minsan mag eroplano ka pa para lang makita sila ng ilang oras. Ang lungkot pag may celebrations, parang di mo na lang icelebrate kasi parang katawa-tawa na tatatlo lang kayo or lilima tapos panay pa kayo matatanda na.

  Darating na naman ang Thanksgiving. Invited daw kami ng sister-in-law ko. Magdidinner na naman kami ng turkey na di ko naman gusto tapos aapat lang kami na maghaharap-harap? Hay pede ba imbitahin ang mga kaaanak ko sa Pinas para masaya naman? Kung pwede nga lang...

Kaya malungkot dito. Kakalungkot...

Posting your Resume Online

Eversince I started posting my resume at an internet jobsite, I have received lots of spam mails in my inbox and I just find it so irritating. Some would be for jobs that you are not interested, some are from those lottery companies which I know do not exist, and some were from these individuals who have nothing else to do in life but to scam people. Do you know of that email which they send you which says something like a wealthy man had died and that he doesn't have any relatives so they will just wire the money to your account? These people are so annoying. Sometimes I want to lash back at them but oh well, it's not worth it at all.

The nuisances are not only with my email but also in my mobile phone. One time I answered the phone and the lady rattled on that I am a winner of this so and so and I had to stop her saying that if this involves some money from me then I am not interested. Then there's this sometimes when it will ring and you say "hello" and they dont' even bother saying anything. You just have this eerie feeling that there's somebody on the other end just listening to you.  Why can't these people get some real jobs rather than pestering others on the phone?  Well anyway, these days I no longer answer my phone. If it's important like a job offer, I know they'd leave a message.

So think twice before you post your resume on the internet. Hide it from the public so you don't end up with unwanted job offers, spam emails and nuisance phone calls. But if you decide that posting it publicly will get you more job offers, then just be prepared for the onslaught of spam and junk mails  ...    :)

Problems, problems...

My mind is so cluttered lately..I have a lot of problems that I feel like the world is crumbling down on me, like the future for me in America is so bleak. Yes, I am only human, I have problems of my own and  here's a list of it:

1. We need to look for a place of our own.
2. Husband's salary is not that much so I need to look for a job which is not easy to do since I have no local experience yet.
3. I have already applied for a job but I am still waiting for their reply.
4. If I have a job, I need to find a daycare or sitter for my son but I want a Filipina daycare or nanny which I don't know where to find one.
5. We don't have savings so the money for the downpayment is a big problem.
6. I don't know how to drive (sigh), I will have to take the bus or be dropped-off by husband on his way to work so I hope we will have the same work schedule..

I have prayed the novena for two weeks now and I sure hope God will send me an answer soon.

It's Been Awhile

Hello friends,

It's been awhile since my last post and I have a lot of stories to tell. First up is that it's tooooo hot here in California , as in really hot!!! It's even hotter here compared to our summer there in the Philippines. Uh-uh, comparing again eh ? I know but just can't help it. I can't even say it's warm. It really is hot here than there. I always thought that it would be cooler here but to my dismay, ackkk, mas mainit pa pala dito ???!!! To help you experience how it is,  try  turning a hairdryer on and let it blow on your face and that's how intense the heat here is. Thanks to the airconditioning though, people don't have to suffer that much. They will just suffer from the high cost of their electric bill hehehe....

Next up is why I was unreachable(?) during these past weeks. The reason is that I took a babysitting job at our friend's house. I just worked there for a month and last Friday was my last day. Not my decision though, but maybe God willed it to happen so I will have time to look for a better job. Some things happen for a purpose, right?

Lots of stories to tell about my little imp, aka John the little drunken master hahahah... We jokingly call him that coz he just learned to walk when he reached his tenth month and if you have seen a baby who's just learning to walk, you'd agree with me.

Okay so this would be all for now. I will update you again of the  latest "happenings" next time...

CHARI

It's Nice to be Back !!!

Finally, I'm back and it's nice to be back, yebahhhh!!!

So I saw Vegas but wa epek sakin, I mean di naman me in awe when I saw the place huh? As in wala lang, it just looked like Makati at night na masyadong madaming ilaw at  sympre, casino. Dami ding tao, dami kakalat kalat na  mga mexicano, mga latina, hispanic ganon. Calling immigration officials, baka gusto nyong nang iround up sila, i'm sure madami sa kanila illegal hahahha..Anyway, there were a lot of shows to go to but I was not interested as I just wanted to see what Vegas looked like. Actually the main reason for my disinterest is that I don't like gambling really so I did not really like to applaud whatever they had there. By the way, there were lots of nude pictures on the sidewalk of some streets so while we were walking with our friends' kids, I told them not to look at the bad pictures. Baka akalain nila okay lang ung mga pictures na ganon divah? But at Circus Circus we did have some fun since they have some thing for the kids like rides and games. Me and Husband tried our luck and won two stuff toys but not without us shelling 20 dollars in our quest to win some of those toys.

Anyway my Husband I think was really bent on winning some from the slot machines , which I do not approve so to be fair to me, I told him that whatever he lost, he should give me the same, like sort of a payment to me coz while he was enjoying his slot machines, I was taking care of the baby , right? And so before we went home to California, he handed me some bills, not much but hmmn, now I can buy something for myself without asking from him. Smart ,huh ?

So there, that was Vegas. On July 4th , we plan to go to LA to visit my grandma .. Let's see what LA looks like this time..

Going to Vegas...

I will not be able to log in to friendster for the next three days because a friend of Husband has invited us to go with them to Las Vegas. It's gonna be a long , long drive to go there. Am not really interested but okay, I'll just go and see what Vegas looks like...

Will miss checking my yahoo and friendster for four days, shucks...

Are We Really Safe Here ?

Well, in one of my previous posts, Rainy days in Cali.. I mentioned that I do not agree with my husband when he says that this is the safest place on earth. Tell me if I am overreacting again with my observations ...

• first , why then were there a lot of underground tunnels that were found beneath the US - Mexican borders?  I thought US have high technology radars and they could spot things like this ? These tunnels could be and might already been used by terrorists, for all we know.
• How come so many illegal immigrants were able to cross the borders or were able to enter the US illegally ? If they were able to do that, so can terrorists too, right? Though I doubt it since I think terrorists  are now more highly educated and sophisticated than that..
• Bush has been sending US troops to Iraq and now he plans to stop Iran from what he thinks has been making uranium to make a nuclear bomb.. Pano na pag inatake nya na naman ang Iran, kinukulang pa ba siya ng kalaban? Plano nya bang ubusin ang mga Amerikanong sundalo? My heart just bleeds to all those parents who lost their sons and daughters to these wars. And if these terrorists attacks the US, pano na ?
• Locally, sa mga cities lang, you would see these killings, rapings, children getting kidnapped, even adults too disappear. My sister-in-law told us one morning that her friend Mila got robbed just in front of her house, got her credit cards and some money and when the cards didn't work, the robbers went back to her place and took her purse. Imagine that, may-I-comeback ang mga walang hiya? Goodness, scary huh?

So those are just my observations again. So when my husband tells me to hush and be quiet 'cause " this is America and we're safe here" , I can only roll my eyes and bite my lips.

P.S. I forgot to tell you guys about my experience one time when I had to deliver Avon to a customer just a block away from our house. As they were telling me that our community is a safe place to walk around ( remember they tell me to take my son to the park and all that ?) , I decided to try and go out alone. It was 7:30 pm but sabi nga nila safe dito eh di sige try natin. I told my husband if he's not going to go with me but he just said nothing so I thought, okay, then I'll just do it. I chose to go the other way in front of the park which I know has some lighted lampposts. Everything was okay but on my way back, as I got to the corner fronting the park ( the park didn't have lights on but I heard some kids playing ) , I heard a roaring car whiz by behind me going the other way. I quickened my steps as it was also drizzling and I was scared that the car might see me, stop by and God knows what di ba? And so I was near to running actually when suddenly the car which I heard to have passed the other way suddenly seemed to change directions and before I knew it, it was on the road in front of me and it stopped about ten steps from where I was. I could only say to myself, Oh God, Oh God. My mind was racing and I was thinking that if they get off and approach me, I would go back running to my customer's house. About ten seconds after one of the guys looked my way (there were about three I think) , then they drove off. Got scared of me or what, found me ugly or whatever, I can only praise God that nothing happened to me..

Rainy Days in Cali..

I do not know if I should really feel safe here or not with the recent happenings of landslides, mudslides, flooding and  some small quakes here in California. I came here last May 2005 which was a summertime so I didn't experience this before. Right now, it's nearly spring but it has been raining here and they say that this year is a record-breaker since this year holds the most number of rainy days in Cali.

Being from a typhoon-ridden country, if I will compare the amount of  rain here with the countless rainy days in the Philippines, rainy days in California is simply not something I can categorize as real rainy days. I mean in the Philippines, there are like how many very strong and violent typhoons hitting our country? I cannot count how many storms we have in a single year so I am baffled why these mudslides, landslides, flooding is happening here, with this very little rain?  Also the roads are caving in and I am wondering why they did not seem to have made the foundations strong enough to withstand some things known to happen like softening of the earth due to some heavy rainfall??

When I tell my husband about my worries, he'd tell me that I am being paranoid, that this is the safest place in the whole world. He thinks America is the best in everything. I don't think I'll agree ( well, I never agree with him on anything actually hahaha) ...

Living in the USA

A dear friend asked me why I don't like it here in the US. Well, actually it's not really that I don't like staying here, let's just say that maybe I am not yet used with the way things are here that is why I am sort of making "reklamo pa " and making comparisons of my beloved Philippines to the land of Uncle Sam. She asked me to give her a list of my reasons why so here it is my friends, I hope it will give you guys an idea how it is to live here: (c) 2005- Charina Neo- all rights reserved

1. If you have no credit history, meaning di ka nangungutang malamang wala kang value sa mga creditors. To buy a car, lease a house, buy a house, you have got to have a very good credit standing. Eh sa tulad kong di sanay may utang at gusto ko cash lagi magbayad , eh di wala, mapipilitan me makitulad sa lahat ng mga Amerikanong mhilig mangutang.
2. Kung di ka marunong at maalam magdrive, wag ka nang magtry gumamit ng Freeway at baka damputin kang wla ng buhay. The minimum speed when you are in the Freeway is like 40 to 75 mph so kung aanga-anga ka, wag ka nang mag ambisyon na itry ang Freeway. You need to have good eyesight and dapat alerto ka kasi mayayabang ang ibang drivers at bigla na lang papasok sa lane mo or sa harap mo na kung di ka alert malamang, mabangga ka, mabangga mo sya at matotal ang kotse mo. Kya me when I try driving, dito na lang muna me sa mga backroads para safe. Pero I will not chicken-out and will face that raging Freeway when I know na tigasin na din me noh? Kung kaya nila, kaya ko din divah?
3. Ang konti ng tao dito ewan ko ba. Siguro kasi busy sa pagkayod kasi mdaming utang at mortgages to pay hehehe.. joke lang pero partly true ha? Kya when you go out strolling in the park, wa pipol kaya nga takot ako eh, baka may dumampot sa min jan eh wla man lang makakita, or makarinig kasi wala namang mga tao ang mga bahay na ang lalaki pa na kahit may sumigaw sa labas eh di ka dinig. Sa malls naman, konti din tao kaya kalungkot lang magstroll lalo pag mag-isa ka kaya dapat may kaHH ka (kaholding hands)  habang binabaybay nyo ang deserted aisles . Sabi nga ni Renee nung bago din sya dito eh, kala nya magsasara na ang mga shops kasi konti tao, yun pala eh talagang ganon dito, not unless syempre nsa heart of  New York ka  or San Francisco na laging madaming tao.
4. Malalayo ang mga tindahan, swerte mo na lang if katabi lang ng bahay mo ung mga grocery stores, or Supermarket.
5. Walang mga taxi, buses na bawat minuto eh anjan sa bus stop. May oras lang ang mga bus dito sa pag nahuli ka, abutin ka ng isang oras or mahigit para maghintay sa sunod na bus. One time sabi ko try ko na lang dial-a-ride kasi para pick-up in na lang me sa bahay kasi malayo bus stop , un pala pang disabled lang or pang senior citizen, bakit sila lang ba ang may pera at may kailangan na pasundo? pano naman ang mga di marunong magdrive, may bata at di pwdeng maglakad ng malayo papuntang bus stop? Hmp, injustice yan ha, I mean unfair yan, totally !!
6. Hindi ganon kabilib bilib ang BART nila dito, ung BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT,meaning the train, my dear, the train. Kita nyo ung recent na mga happenings sa BART, kung ilang ulit na tumigil kaya stranded mga pasahero. Kasi daw nagkaproblema sa computer, kasi luma na ung software. What? ang number one na leader sa buong mundo, may lumang software? My gulay, anong ginagawa ni Bill Gates bakit di nila itanong dun kung pwdeng igawa sila nga pinakahitech na softwares divah? Talo pa sila ng LRT at MRT noh? at kung security ang paguusapan eh mas secure pa ang feeling ko sa Pinas kasi may checking ang lahat ng mga bags ng pasahero, that was after the bombing ng LRT i know. Eh dito wla, as in wlang checking, kahit nga random checking wla, eh ang dami pa namang terrorista na naghihintay lang ng chance na mapasama sa history ng  bansang ito di ba ? Pero sympre di naman me pinipilit nino man na sumakay ng BART so di ko sinasabing wag sumakay, napansin ko lang naman at nacompare kaya wag ka nang magreact..
7. Ang mga bata dito di pwde salingin. Makita lang na may pasa or kung ano, pagdududahan kagad na pinapalo, piniphysical abuse although madami naman talaga ang mga batang abused dito. Ayaw daw nilang pinapalo ang mga bata kaya tingnan nyo mga kinalabasan, mga addict, brats, mga kung ano ano ang problema sa utak.. ewan ko ba pero tong anak ko pag lumaking wala sa ayos uwi na lang kami sa Pinas at dun madidisplina ko sya tulad ng disiplinang ginawa sa kin ng aking mahal na ina..

So my dears, ito na lang muna ang masasabi ko sa issue na madami akong reklamo sa bansang ito, siguro wag na lang nating sabihing reklamo, let's just say observations. Keen observer ako eh. Pero konti pa lang yan ha, madami pa kung tututukan ko pero siguro madami akong napapansin kasi di pa ko sanay, sanayan lang yan siguro..And please wag nyo naman akong sabihang umuwi na lang at wag nang manatili sa land of Milk and Honey kasi sa true lang, kahihiyan ko na lang ang iniisip ko. Isipin nyo na lang if uwi ako,kahihiya hiya naman, andito na ko eh wla, pagtiisan ko na lang, and besides siguro di naman me papupuntahin dito if walang big plan si Lord di ba? One time maiintindihan ko din ung grand Plan na yon and iseshare ko uli sa inyo, okay?

Ciao!!!

Me, paranoid ???!!!

Husband says I am a paranoid just because :

- I do not venture out of the house to take a walk and take my baby to the park which is just a block away from our house. He thinks that being too-cooped up in the house is the cause of our baby's eczema...

- I always lock the door of our room even if I have company inside the house... coz sometimes they forget to lock the front door and what if may pumasok? eh di makapasok na sa kwarto namin??? (c) 2005- Charina Neo- all rights reserved

- I tell him to lock his car doors when he uses it just in case some jerk comes up to him and yanks him out of the car and take off with us inside the car...

- I lock all doors of the car  whenever he goes out to buy something at the gas station coz somebody might come in and (again) , take off with us inside the car... remember that little boy whose mother went inside a gas station convenience store to get something and what do you know, a woman, got inside her car and took off with her 4 year old son...

- I do not open the door even if somebody repeatedly rings the doorbell, even if sometimes it was already him knocking... one time it was the mailman, good thing I saw the USPS car or else the package that Mama sent would be returned to her... hahhaha ...

- I tell him to park elsewhere when he parks near somebody who looks like a  hoodlum ... lalo na pag katribo ni Mang Temi... tapos ngingiti-ngiti na parang aso...

- I would peek at the window to check why the dog keeps on barking ...

- I asked him where me and the baby should go just in case a quake occurs and in line with this, which bag I should pack all the basic necessities needed when it happens and then where the gas valve is just in case i needed to turn off the gas ....

So am I really paranoid ? Well, it's like this... who wouldn't be when I constantly see all those killings, home-invasion , rapes , kidnappings, muggings, quake victims etcetera blah-blah on teevee? ( and you think you had it bad in the Philippines eh? ) It is just so scary... Who knows if there might be some not- so -nice characters lurking in those gas stations ? Or who knows what will happen when I go out there for a stroll with my baby and somebody just stops by and grabs us ? There are just so many bad things happening in this world that I cannot help to be too careful, to the extent that they see me as being paranoid. well, for me, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, gets mo ???

 

Christmas is over...

finally,christmas is over and done with.our celebration wasn't much.it was ok but different. no noche buena, no big family gatherings, so unlike what we have in the philippines. so drama ako while getting ready to sleep.

so anyway, as i've said , we just slept through it. then in the morning, we opened gifts and did some picture-taking. nothing much to tell really... but hey , i got a big surprise from the big Boss up there... He sent me my interview date at the USCIS. it will still be in February but hello , at least i already have a date. i am so excited....

it will soon be christmas...

it's december 19 today and i can't believe it will soon be christmas time. i just can't feel it right now, it feels like it's still so far away. though we already have spiced up our own house with festive christmas decors, have all gifts ready, had bought baby john his santa costume but still, my heart feels so empty....i feel like crying. i miss my family so much , if only fairy godmothers are true then i would  have wished to be sent back to the phils. in one big pooof.... i miss my pamangkins, my sisters, brods, (sighs) ... and most especially my mama. funny how being far from her would change everything to me. i feel like a little child wanting to be with my mama. i feel like i just want to cry a river and hug her and not let go. how i miss you ma. though we are always arguing, those are just spices of our lives, to keep some bad memories along with the good. i miss going out with you, miss just talking about everything. i wish i have obeyed everything you told me , really, mother knows best. but then whatever God has planned for me, i shall try to accomplish it here. and then someday , i know i will see you all again.... until then...

Living in the USA 101 (Part 1)

things i learned when I came to the US of A :

- when they say " hi, how are you ? " it doesn't mean they are being friendly, that's no big deal for them. They are accustomed to say that to almost everybody else, including you. (c) copyright 2005, Charina Neo, all rights reserved

- they have a sales tax of 8.25% on everything except food, but tax rates vary per state. i learned that in some, there is no tax so i think we should be transferring to wherever that state is...

- they love their pets here to the max, treat them like people. not that i hate pets or animals but aren't they suppose to waste their money on  people who needs it the most ? 

- car seats and seat belts are a big deal here, no car seat for the baby, no car ride then , lest you want to be apprehended by the polizia .

- oh they love to hug here, be ready for the big bear hug .

- you have to learn how to drive a car, or else you will have to endure waiting for two hours for a bus ride. 

- Americans are not shy people, which is good. they can readily belt out songs even if they know they are out of tune. at least you don't have to beg for them to sing at parties :)

-there are good people and bad people here as like with all other parts of the world. you see crimes on tv that are unimaginable and yet you also see acts of kindness and people coming together for one great cause like helping victims of the Hurricane Katrina. it seems to me they are not stingy , they have big hearts when it comes to helping out. but again, as i've said, there are bad people here too, you can check it out on "america's most wanted " and other tv shows dealing with crimes  and you will be shocked as to how they have the guts to do such a heinous thing.

- they donate cars here.

-they have big bins for your used clothes if u'd like to throw them away.

-they advertize on newspapers the things they want to throw away like, " FREEBIES , slightly used TV,36 inches, you haul..."

- you don't drink water straight from the tap...

-you have to pay your bills on time, especially utility bills or else they will cut it off right after the due date, no questions asked. no considerations given  for forgetful people so never forget okay ???

-you get a lot of junk in the mail because of the many advertisements of various stores, companies etc. they really do go out of their way to entice you to buy like having flyers, brochures printed out and mailed every day...

-they have storage companies here. if you have a lot of things, items to store, you can rent out a space from them, really cool idea.

- houses here are made of wood, and sheetracks  ( have i spelled it right? )  and styro and just a little of concrete so no wonder they get all crumpled up when a storm or a hurricane comes in. not my business though, just for the info of the reader...

i will still discover a lot more in America as time goes by... stay tuned for the next issue...