Just 13 days until I am off to the Philippines! Next weekend I have to pack! AAAH! It's coming up so quickly.

Just 23 days until I am off to the Philippines! Today I finally got the paper back from my supervisor. She had submitted my vacation & leave without pay request back on August 21st. Monday she said our department head had said "Yes". But I really wanted the copy back from him signed, so I had proof I was actually approved. So Thursday she emailed him and today before I left for work she gave me the signed copy back. So I am approved for my vacation, because it doesn't look like we'll be getting furloughed there is too much work this year... and now hurricane Ike is looking like it may be bad and whenever FEMA needs assistance with the phones, we take the overflow calls that FEMA can't handle. The last time we did that was with hurricanes Katrina & Rita, 3 years ago. It was pretty tough and emotional handling calls from people calling for disaster assistance that had lost everything....

But... I am approved and I am leaving for the Philippines in 23 days! Started getting stuff for my trip last week and ordered some clothes. I have to go shopping next weekend for some jeans & maybe a few new t-shirts. Picked up some snacks for my flight. I usually take a dried fruit mix, with yogurt raisins. And I got some rice crispy treats too. Usually I get granola bars, but I wanted something different this time.

F.B.'s grand mom & aunt were visiting from Mindanao last week. They went to the Manila Ocean Park, the new Aquarium on my birthday. F.B. & I are going to go there when I visit. I saw on the website they also have a glass bottom boat ride, that sounds pretty neat! And I also want to visit the Zoo at some point. Something different for us. There's a new mall that opened in Marikina City that we can check out. The malls in the Philippines are just crazy. They have so many and they are soooo huge! Mall of Asia is one of my favorites. And also the smaller malls near his house.

I'm excited, the trip is getting closer. I'm not looking forward to traveling for 24+ hours though. It's a full day of travel and the worst flight is my 15 hour flight from Chicago to Hong Kong. I will have several flight changes. You can click here to check out my flight itinerary.

Just a note: I try to include alot of links related to each blog post. So if you click on the links in my blogs it will give you more information on what I'm posting about.

If you have read my blog from the beginning you would know F.B. & I met on a 'Lindsay Lohan' forum 5 years ago. (See Here) Sometimes people ask how we met each other and I usually just say "online". For close friends I always say with a laugh, "In a Lindsay Lohan forum..."

So you would think since that is where F.B. & I met we should be diehard fans and grateful to Lindsay Lohan for somehow bringing us together. Honestly... not so much anymore for me. I liked her back in the day when she was a good little actress. My favorite movie she was in was the new 'Parent Trap' and the remake of 'Freaky Friday'. That was the movie that made F.B. & I join up on the forums in the first place. He being a fan & I joining up to look for guitar chords for one of the movie songs. We never joined up looking for a relationship... it just sort of happened after talking with each other & becoming friends.

I don't think I would call myself a Lindsay Lohan fan anymore. I don't think any of her movies aside from 'The Parent Trap', 'Freaky Friday' are worth watching. And I especially don't like the way she has conducted herself the past 5 years. (Hmmm... that seems to be a trend with past Disney stars.) Everything aside though.... I do have to smile when I think of the time we spent on the Lindsay Lohan forum 5 years ago. After all if it wasn't for the movie 'Freaky Friday' F.B. & I would have never crossed each other's paths.... and for that I am truly thankful!

*General Update* Just 3 weeks until I am off to the Philippines! Yay! I also got to have a nice birthday lunch with my family Saturday at the Chinese Buffet near our house. And I received a surprise birthday letter & 3 cards from F.B. on the 5th. Awww... just a day late for my birthday. Hehe. He didn't tell me he was mailing anything so it was really a surprise. It took 3 weeks to get here though! International mail is so slow.

Well, I am 26 years old today. I was actually able to take off work for my birthday. I realized when I'm on vacation using my vacation leave I will still get 2 more paychecks and will accrue 12 more hours of vacation leave. So that allowed me to take today off. I was already scheduled off for the whole week so I was able to sleep in today until 12pm. Yay! I am always up at 5:30am on workdays.

Just spent a quiet day at home. My parents called from the shore to wish me a happy birthday. And F.B. called me and we chatted for 20 min. Then we got to spend time online with each other for a few hours. Saturday I'm going out with the family for a "birthday" lunch. And next weekend I get to go out with my cousins for a "birthday" dinner. Back to work tomorrow... but thank goodness the weekend is here!

The ratties really enjoyed the ice cream cake I had for my birthday. Here's some pictures:

P.S. I found out yesterday Fall Out Boy's new album is coming out November! Whoo hoo! I saw them in concert last October. They are so good live! The new single 'I don't care' is good too. I hope it's out in the Philippines when I'm over there so I can buy it! They are my favorite band. :-)

Happy Labor Day everyone! Hope everyone had a nice holiday. Just 34 days until I am off to the Philippines. Wow... just a little over 4 more weeks to go! I still have to get things straightened out with work. I submitted my vacation request, still waiting for it to be approved. I wish they would just furlough us... it's been a long season. I've never worked past Labor Day before... only when hurricane Katrina hit. And that was only because FEMA needed extra people on the phones, so work asked employees that were furloughed to come back to work for that. I'm only seasonal, so it's surprising to be working this long in the year. I am usually furloughed in August and go back to work in January.

Anyhow... I have to pick up last minute items. Snacks for the plane, batteries, aspirin, sleeping pills, stuff like that. Mostly just stuff for my carry on. I'll probably pack that Friday night before I leave. F.B. & I want to visit the zoo and the aquarium when I'm there this time. That will be something new & fun to do. And of course we get to spend 5 days in Makati City again.

I was really sick last week. I had a nasty head cold which ended up aggravating my asthma. My asthma was worse when I was younger. Now it only seems to bother me in extreme heat/cold or when I get a bad cold. I wasn't able to breathe right last week and my lungs were hurting because of the head/stomach virus. I ended up staying home from work last Tuesday & Wednesday.

My parents & 2 younger brothers went down to the shore for the week. I have to work this week, so my 20 year old brother & I have just been home. I've been being "domestic". Lol. Sunday I spent the day scrubbing, mopping & cleaning the kitchen & bathroom. Also baked some chocolate chip cookies & made some rice crispy squares. I can cook & bake when I try. Hehe. I woke up this morning aching all over though from all the cleaning I did on Sunday. Ow.

My 26th birthday is Thursday. I have to work. Blech. But I'm going to pick up Starbucks after work! I've been trying to cut back on Starbucks. I used to go every Friday. But that was becoming expensive. So I finally decided to break myself of that habit by saying I wouldn't have any until my birthday. After that I'm only going to have Starbucks once a month. There's also a lovely little chocolate carvel ice cream cake waiting in the freezer for Thursday, haha. And my brother is going to take me out to the Chinese buffet for lunch this Saturday.

I didn't really ask for much for my birthday this year. (Last year because it was my 25th my parents gave me an 80GB Video Ipod. Whoo!) This year I received the game Scattergories; which I asked for so F.B. & I can play together when I'm in the Philippines. Our other favorite game is Scrabble! I'm a word game kind of girl. If any of you guys have a video ipod download the game Scrabble from Itunes... so addictive! The best game for ipod, ever!

F.B. will be also be calling me on my birthday. Yay! So looks like I will have a nice birthday. I just wish I didn't have to work... yuck. What sucks is... I was actually scheduled off all this week... but because we are not being furloughed any time soon and I have an 8 week trip coming up they want me to save my vacation time for my trip... so I have to work. Blah. I've only got enough leave saved up for 4 weeks. After that they want me to take leave without pay... yay... oh well... just 34 more days left until I get to be with my boy!!!!

I forgot my bracelet arrived on Wednesday! (My early birthday gift to myself, hehe.) I ordered it from Esquivel & Fees. They do amazing work. Every piece is custom made. My bracelet also has a lifetime guarantee and I can send it back to them for repairs if needed. Yay for Ratties! I took a picture with the flash & without.

Since F.B. & I are getting married December 2009 in the Philippines, I've decided I need to start looking up Immigration Lawyers in my area. I've already contacted about 5. I emailed 3 more tonight and am waiting for replies. 2 lawyers got back to me and I need to call the one back tomorrow. I want to compare fee's to see who is easiest to work with and who will really help me through the confusing process of filing all of the paperwork. Several have gotten back to me, but a few were too expensive, didn't explain the process, and one told me I needed to come in for a paid consultation before he would discuss anything!

The one lawyer I emailed in Center City Philadelphia, called my cell phone the last night but I missed his call. I called his office today but he was in a meeting. Then I ended up missing his call this evening by 15 minutes or so. But he left his cell phone number for me instead so I would be sure of getting ahold of him. He was so incredibly nice! We spoke for about 30 minutes and he went through all the processes/scenarios.

Here is the email I sent F.B. tonight about the immigration lawyer:

Hi Baby, I just got off the phone with the nicest immigration lawyer ever! All week I've been looking lawyers up online and in the phone book. I've emailed a few but they were either too expensive, or not helpful or wanted me to come in for a paid consultation before they would explain anything, even fees. A few were nice but were way too expensive. This lawyer in Center City Philadelphia called me last night after I emailed him but I missed his call. I called him at work today but he was in a meeting. Then I missed his call again when I took a shower, lol. Buttt.... he said he was leaving the office and would give me his cell phone number instead so I would be sure to get a hold of him.

So I called him around 6pm and he was sooo nice! He was actually driving home from the office but talked with me for 30 minutes. He went through each scenario with each visa, told me the processes, the costs, etc. He said his father has an office up around where I live and if I didn't want to travel all the way to center city- he would even come up to where I lived for consulatations, etc. He said they can do monthly payments with the fees and he usually requests half, but he could do a smaller percentage of that and then monthly fees over the course of the entire application process.

He actually told me a better way to go about the entire process! What I was thinking of doing. Was filing for a K-3 visa. That would get you into the USA. But then we would also have to apply for employment authorization. And then within 90 days we would need to file to change your status to a permanent immigrant resident. But those are 3 different forms, each with their own costs.

He says, we don't even have to file for a K-3 visa. If you just file the I-130 Petition for Alien Relative, once you file that paperwork you can at the same time apply for permanent immigrant status. Which means instead of going through 3 different processes we can go through 1 process. Which means when you finally step into the USA, you would already be a permanent immigrant resident. You could apply for a job as soon as you stepped off the plane, because you would be a USA resident. He says filing the I-130 starts off with mailing our marriage certificate, copies of our birth certificates, application, etc in. Then they mail you back a packet for the next step, where I mail in income tax copies, bank statements, etc. Which would cost around $355.

He says that first process takes around 3-7 months. Once that is finished Immigration will mail all of our paperwork to the US consulate in Manila Philippines. From there they would call you in for an interview for permanent resident status. You would have paperwork prepared with medical clearance, affidavits from our family and friends proving our relationship, etc. There would be a fee for the interview of a couple hundred dollars. This is the longest step because it can take 12-16 months for a decision. The lawyer would help us through each step and help us to prepare our applications, the packet you would need to take for your interview at the USA consulate, etc. All together it is an estimate of about $4,000. Really he said just $3,000 for the lawyer fees- the rest is the immigration fees.

If we went the other way that I was thinking we could actually be spending around $6,000 because it is 3 different processes. This way we work through one process you enter the USA a permanent resident, you can get a job and we are together. $4,000 is not a bad price at all, compared to the other lawyers I've been contacting. And none of them helped me through each scenario/situation like this lawyer. He is so nice F.B. we are definitely using him for our immigration lawyer. Even besides chatting about the legal stuff, he talked about how he grew up in Jenkintown, his father has a lawyer office in Feasterville near me. He asked me where I went to school, where I grew up, even said he looked at my myspace page and blog so he knew even more about our situation when I called.

He also said it's great I've kept copies of my plane tickets, itineraries from the past trips. That I have lot's of letters from you, etc. Because we can use that to document and prove our relationship. He advised me to start making copies of those things and getting them in order. I'll have to start doing that!

This is great! And the fact he does monthly payment plans is even better, that he will work with us with the payments and help us through the entire process is just wonderful. Aaah! So much stress is gone! With the time-frames for processing everything, you wouldn't be able to come to the USA until around 2011 at some point. So that's good for us too, since you said you still wanted to find a job over there and save money. This buys us at least another year and a half. What do you think of everything? I think we will definitely work with this lawyer and go the process he says. It will great that you would already be a permanent resident and be able to work as soon as you stepped off the plane! Yay!

I'm so excited that I finally found a great lawyer who will work with us and who takes the time to explain the processes, costs, etc. What he thinks is best and more cost effective. We are definitely going to choose him for our immigration lawyer!

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia.

Some Links:

I-130 (Initial Form Filed)

IR1 (This explains what he was talking about.)

Extra Info ( On what the lawyer is suggesting.)

Yay! So just 6 weeks until I am off to the Philippines! F.B. finally let me book our hotel for Makati City! We always stay in Makati City for a few days whenever I visit. F.B. was actually born in Makati City & it is just special to us, we have alot of memories there. We always stay at the Best Western Astor Hotel. I love that hotel. It's much nicer than the Best Western hotel's in the USA and the buffet breakfast/lunch is amazing! Plus it is within walking distance to Greenbelt & Glorietta Mall. And not such a far ride to Mall of Asia. We will be staying in Makati City October 13th-October 17th. 5 days 4 nights.



















Breakfast Buffet at the Best Western Astor:














Hotel Lobby:


















I booked the Best Western Astor hotel through Agoda.com. It was $100 less than Orbitz.com where I usually book our hotel. Whoo hoo! Only $55 a night instead of $80!

Thought I would share the interesting photos I got yesterday of a lady bug & wasp:






















































I keep the macro setting on when taking close up shots. The camera I use is a: Sony Cybershot DSC-W55

F.B.'s cat Pusa passed away today. I got F.B.'s text message about him this morning when I woke up. (Pusa means cat in Tagalog.) Pusa was a stray cat that hung around my fiance's house. He started coming by about a year and a half ago and became F.B.'s cat. I got to meet Pusa in January. He had a funny meow. He would always meow when we were eating meals, come into the dining room walk under the table and rub up against our feet or hands. He was a boy's cat. He just loved when F.B. would play "rough" with him, by "mopping" him on the floor with his hand or foot. Pusa would get right back up and love up against F.B. It cracked us up. Pusa just loved F.B.

I remember the one night when we were taking Coco his dog out back to put him in the yard. We walked all the way behind the house to put Coco away. Coco started barking up a storm. Pusa decided to stroll on out and steps around the back corner of the house, looks at us and goes, "MEOW?" Like, 'What is all the racket? What are you guys doing?" He was such a silly cat. I also remember F.B. told me one time Pusa snuck in the house and made himself comfortable on his sister's bed. hehe.

He was a stray cat, but F.B. would bathe him sometimes (though he's pretty dirty in the pictures below.) He would always get into fights with the other neighborhood strays. He always ate all the leftover food and he even liked Pringles chips.

I didn't get to say goodbye to Pusa when I left in January, he wasn't around that morning... so I'll really miss him when I go back in October... he was such a friendly kitty. Goodbye Pusa....

F.B.'s email: Got up early to drive today. I saw Pusa just laying around and he really didn't seem like he had much energy. I haven't seen him eat in about 2 days or so too. I just patted him a bit and I actually said "goodbye" to him, cuz somehow I felt that he'd be going soon. Got the news about Pusa through text from Ate Malou after lunch. That feeling I had was correct, unfortunately. And it is sad. I know I've only had Pusa for about a year or so, but I love that cat. haha. I'm gonna miss him. Even though he was filthy and not so pretty, and he had a weird "meow" too. There was just something special about him. hehe. I don't quite recall when Pusa came around here. He was just some street cat looking for food, then he'd hang around more and we'd use him to take care of the mice in the house. haha. Eventually, he became a pet and I got share my food with him and also gave him a few baths lately. haha. I know it's sad that he's gone. But I'm also glad in a way that I got to take care of him cuz no one seemed to care about him before.

I thought I would share some pictures of the girls enjoying corn on the cob and yogurt peanuts. Hehe. They just love corn on the cob occasionally. Spice especially LOVES it as you can see from the pictures, hehe! (They clean the cob better than a human!) They love yogurt peanuts for a treat too. Though they all have different ways of eating them. Cinnamon will eat the yogurt off and leave the peanut. Spice will eat the yogurt, take the skin off the peanut & then eat the peanut. And Sugar eats the whole thing! Cinnamon is my chunky monkey. Ever since she had her emergency spay she's really chunked up. She weighs 1 pound 2 ounces, while Sugar & Spice weigh 15 ounces each.

Spice: