Applying for US Visa

Ask any Filipino you know and most probably they have a relative or a friend living in the States. We are a nation of people who treats the US as our second nation ever since they set foot on our nation during the Spanish regime. Our parents, uncles, aunts and just about anybody in their generation tried to go to the states either by looking for work or just want to have a vacation. It was generally known that if one goes to the states, life is better there, easier and you earn more. If you pass by the US Embassy, chances are you will see a lot of people applying for a visa or are scheduled for an interview. Is the grass really greener there?

I have known a few people who tried to apply for a visa. An adult who had a scholarship to the states was denied. Another who has no plans of working there, who owns a small business here was granted a visa, a couple who planned to have their honeymoon there - the husband was granted but the wife denied and another person who plans to accompany her father to see their relatives there was denied twice. People say that consuls at the embassy do not have a clear criteria on granting a visa or denying one. They say that one must have a fat bank account, travel experiences abroad and good credit standing will help. Basing on a friend's story, it does not work that way. They say that consuls just rely on their gut feelings. Do you think that is fair?
As for me, i hope that i will not be required to get a US Visa in the future. I have no plans in going there. I heard that life there is more difficult than here. It makes twice as difficult because you will miss your family here. The only logical reason for applying for a US Visa is work there pays better compared here, far much better. Vacation? There are other places better to visit. How about Europe? Other Asian countries are also worthwhile to have a vacation.

I really hope that the time will come that Filipinos will not be so restricted in going abroad, not just to the US but other first world countries as well. Filipinos are known to be very hardworking and family-oriented. Since the government here can not provide enough and decent jobs that can pay well, Filipinos should be given a fair chance to work abroad. As we all know, the government very much rely on remittances sent by OFWs to their families here, so it is logical that we need more opportunities.

Million Hectare Walk Year 3

Haribon Foundation for the third straight year will have its annual Million Hectare Walk on November 22, 2009, Sunday from 6am to 11am at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center in Quezon City. The Million Hectare Walk is one of the most successful events of Haribon and for the past 2 years and the event has attracted a lot of walkers and a lot of pledges which made the past 2 events very successful.


Our family participated for the past 2 years and this year will be our third year. During the first year, it was I who did the walking. I gathered pledges from relatives and friends but Leon, our son, had more pledges last year. It was also last year that Leon was awarded the youngest walker and my wife and I were very proud of him because it was the first time he went up a stage and receive an award which was also applauded by participants who gathered inside the amphitheater.


This year will be Leon's 3rd year and again we will gather friends and relatives to pledge for him. Hopefully we raise more funds this year and influence his cousins to walk with him too. Hopefully this event will be memorable for him so that when he grows up he can look back and say that he has contributed a lot for environment conservation.

If you would like to participate or just contribute by making a pledge to walkers, you can visit Haribon Foundation's site at: http://www.haribon.org.ph/

or you can contribute by adopting a seedling for just P 75.00 per seedling. Visit http://www.haribon.org.ph/Road/Adopt-a-Seedling-Campaign

See you there!

Planning to buy a Laptop

I have started to save because my wife and I are planning to buy a laptop this Christmas. I have been looking for an affordable one with relatively good specifications and availability of parts in case we need them in the future. Among the laptop brands we are considering are the following:

1. Acer
2. Asus
3. Compaq
4. MSI
5. E Machines

We considered the mini laptops before but the processor speed is a bit low and we need to buy an external dvd rom to use in case we want to install programs by using CDs. Plus we love taking pictures and we really need a dependable cd writer.

I am also considering to buy a desktop since the specs are far better than laptops, but being handy and portable is a laptop's advantage so we are still considering to buy a laptop than a desktop. How about a Mac Mini? Is it a good investment?

Laptops and PC are really a necessity nowadays but having one limits my time to my family when I am at home. How about you? How do you balance your time while working, spending time on line and having quality time for your family?

Metro Manila Land Value After Typhoon Ondoy

Last year, my wife and I seriously considered getting a loan from Pag-Ibig Fund to get a small house for our family. Among the sites we considered were Antipolo, Marikina, Pasig, Cavite and Fairview in QC. Most of the houses we liked placed on ads were a bit expensive and we were not able to start because we need to save for the 10-20% downpayment. I guess it was a blessing in disguise, if we had the money then, we could have bought a house in Marikina or Pasig area. Although they were a bit more expensive than houses in Antipolo, the locations were near to our place of work. After Typhoon Ondoy, Marikina and Pasig were the hardest hit within Metro Manila and after the casualties and death, many are still in the hospital fighting for their lives from diseases they got from the floods.

I could just imagine people who were selling the houses in new subdivisions in Pasig and Marikina which were priced between 2-4 million. A similar townhouse we liked in Antipolo priced at 1.6 million was priced around 2.5-3 million in Pasig. The townhouses were almost sold out and I pity people who just bought their house in Pasig. Pasig area was priced high because of its proximity to Makati, Mandaluyong and Quezon City area but after the floods, what will be the land value per sq. meter in Pasig. Even in Marikina, houses in Provident Village were upscale since it is one of the prime properties in the city. Definitely, people who are looking to buy a house would definitely avoid Pasig and Marikina areas now.

There were also several areas in Quezon City that were flooded during Typhoon Ondoy. Manila, Malabon, Kalookan, some parts of Makati and Taguig were also flooded. I did not hear any serious flooding in Cavite and Laguna areas except Sta. Cruz which was too far. Does this mean it is safe to consider investing a property in Cavite and Laguna?

Land values started to increase whenever a mall, school or an upscale subdivision gets constructed. This is a factor to consider but realty companies should also consider elevation, good drainage and proper zoning. Ordinary people like me do not know these things and we get to be carried away whenever the land is developed by a well known real estate company. How about condominums? Is it now safe to say that it is better to invest in a condo so there is a less chance of being flooded? What if the area gets flooded too? Is it better to be stranded than to see your house gets flooded?

Will Pinoys elect Erap Again?

I got a glimpse from the tv yesterday, or i think 2 days ago that Erap has announced he will run again for the presidential elections next year. So, what else is new? People have been expecting his announcement months ago and he was just waiting for the perfect timing. Was the timing perfect? I don't think so. In fact, it was a bad timing after all the calamities that happened for the past weeks.

After he got the presidential pardon when he was convicted of the crimes he committed to the Filipino people, there were several conditions given to him. First, he must not run for any public office position ever again. Did he comply? No he did not. Next, it was clearly stated that he must return all ill gotten wealth he got when he was president. Did he comply? Again he did not. Next he told Filipinos that he will try his best to unite the opposition so they can fight corruption and make changes from the present administration. Did he fulfilled his promise? Again he did not. Instead of supporting a strong opposition candidate which was Noynoy Aquino and following sacrifices made by Mar Roxas and other opposition candidates, Erap was not moved. Nobody can stop him. He just want to be president again and fulfill his dreams.

If Erap wins, this shows how ignorant Filipinos are in choosing a leader that can help improve our lives. It is true that Erap made a lot of positive things when he was president but the negative things were just too much. And by declaring his intention of running again, it shows his true character.....which is a person who cannot even follow his own word and promises. A person whom nobody can trust to be a leader, much more a president of a nation.

Typhoon Ondoy

By this time, there could have been a lot of stories on what happened last Saturday to thousands of Metro Manila residents and nearby provinces that were directly hit by the typhoon. Up to this time, several areas and subdivisions are still submerged with flood waters caused by the typhoon. What can we do? We can help through donations or volunteer work. ABSCBN and GMA 7 are asking donations and volunteers and we can help by participating in their relief efforts.

What happened is definitely nature showing us that no matter how advanced our technology is, in the end nature will still prevail. What we can do is take care of our environment and pray that we can recover quickly from natural calamities. If we watched the news for the past 2 days, one can observe that flood waters are usually brown in color. These waters are from the mountains near Rizal, Bulacan, Tarlac and Pampanga. The Sierra Madre mountain range starts in Northern Luzon and ends in Rizal and Laguna. Brown waters came down from the mountains collecting silt and mud. The flood water we see around Pasig and Marikina are heavily silted which only means water came from the mountains going to the river and causing it to everflow. Silt turns into mud which makes rivers turn shallow and clog areas in addition to the garbage thrown by residents near river areas. What causes silt and mud to go to the rivers? Soil is loosened because of heavy logging, mining and irresponsible actions we do to our mountains. Can we say now that nature is responsible to the calmity we experienced for the past 2 days? Definitely not. Nature is there to remind us. It is just unfortunate that we still have to learn our lesson after so many deaths and properties damaged.

Maybe after we donate and do volunteer work, we should think long term and consider the situation very well. Please join efforts in reforestation and tree planting so we can make a difference to the generations ahead us. Please spread information that beyond the natural calamity and heavy rainfall we experienced, we still need to spread the information in preserving our environment. Join forest conservation efforts now and make a difference in the future.

My Love for Biking

When i was a kid, i really was into bikes. I remember when my mom bought me my first bike, a red one with 2 small tires at the back to support me from falling down. Then i had my 2nd bike, a bigger one, colored green with no more small tires at the back because i already knew how to balance and ride my bike. My third bike was a bmx model bike. It was the most famous model during the 80's and eventhough we were not rich, i begged my mom and dad to buy me a new one. I finally got my own bmx bike, probably as a birthday or Christmas gift and i remember every part of it until this very day. I proudly rode my bike anywhere, even to school (eventhough i have my schoolbus), and i love it when there are jeepney strikes because my mom had no choice but to let me ride my bike to go to school.

When i got too old for my bmx bike, i tried to venture into mountain bikes. These bikes cost a fortune and college had too many expenses for me to buy my own bike. Plus bike riding was not really my hobby then. I was into mountain hiking and snorkeling. After college, when i worked in Haribon Foundation, i got an opportunity to organize a big fund raising event that involved cyclists and runners. Little did i know that upon meeting people who are so into outdoor biking, it rekindled my interest in riding a bike. My friend even offered me a bike which was for sale then, it was very basic, with good parts and it cost around 15K. I had little savings then and i could ask for further discount but unfortunately, it did not materialize. A few months after, i had the chance to own my first car. I enjoyed every bit of it and again, lost interest in bikes. Once in a while, when we visit UP Diliman to jog or just play in the open field with my wife and son, i see people riding their bikes and wondered if i will be able to buy my own in the future.

Two weeks ago, when we went to Cartimar to buy things for our aquarium and an orchid for my wife's mom, i saw a few bike shops. I decided to have a look before going home. It was a wrong move. I saw lots of models, parts, i even asked for the prices of bikes which i think looks good and since then, i could not get it out of my mind. How can i be into bikes again? I have a car i love, which was a bit expensive to maintain, a 2 year old son who loves to eat and does not got tired of drinking milk and a salary which was competitive 5 years ago. My wife and i were even planning to buy a laptop this Christmas and buying a bike was really out of the budget. I guess, i have to wait and see. I now understand that my love for bikes is just like my love for cars. No matter what i do to forget it or put them aside, it will still be with me and remind me once in a while. It won't stop until i get it. Hopefully, in the near future, i will be able to afford it. Probably when my son learns to ride?