USA Trip Day 12 / May 22, 2006 Monday

Hi Mom! I saw my mother for the first time in 12 months. It was probably one of the most difficult decisions that they (my parents) had to make…at 50++ years old (a more polite term to near 60), they migrated to the US. To think they really didn’t have to because my sister and I were relatively doing well with our lives and my parents were living comfortably in Tarlac City, Philippines. Probably it was time to think about THEIR future. The rendezvous was Rockefeller Center near the skating rink. My mom was with Aunt Lulu, Uncle Dong and their classmates who they haven’t seen in years. I was a bit late since I was busy taking pictures. The meeting was short because I had a lunch date with high school friends myself. I saw Raciel Fermin, a very good friend since high school and we had lunch at Bula’s house in Scarsdale. It was really good to see Raciel and Bula. I am very happy that my friends from Tarlac City since high school are doing well in their chosen career and environment. Again it was a very short get together as I needed to go back to the city to rejoin my mother and proceed to New Jersey. Okay so my conclusion is 4 days in New York is bitin!! I could have stayed there for 2 weeks and would not get bored.

USA Trip Day 11 / May 21, 2006 Sunday

Okay, so Sunday back home gives you another reason to wake up late. But while on vacation, Sunday means waking up at 630AM to catch the 8AM train to NYC. The objective today day was to explore lower Manhattan: the site of Ground Zero, Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park and China town. I had the chance to see and take pictures of the Waldorf Astoria and Madison Square Garden. Dinner was at Ate Marissa’s house in New Jersey. Ate Marissa was a REAL ATE during my college days at DLSU. If I had any questions, I’d ask her. She also encouraged me to join the DLSU Camera Club but that time it didn’t interest me. I was a member but was not active. Little did I know that 15 years after, the camera bug would bite me. The last time I saw Ate Marissa was during her wedding at least 5 years ago in the Philippines.

USA Trip Day 10 / May 20, 2006 Saturday

Back home, Saturday is a day allotted for rest. After working smart and working hard for 5 straight days, this day gives you the chance to maintain ties with the family bed. :) While on vacation, Saturday means more pasyals!!! We saw the Museum on Natural History and Central Park. I used to just read about it or see it in the movies now I am strolling around Central Park. The park was gargantuan! It probably covered at least 4 city blocks. My point of reference is the Velasquez Park near the condo where we live in Salcedo Village, Makati. While I was reading Leadership by ex-NY Mayor Rudy Guiliani, he mentioned about the Department of Parks & Recreation. I was wondering, why the H_ _L does he need a whole department to manage a park. My visit to Central Park completely answered that question. No further questions, your honor. I saw another pretty cousin, Greta. She used to be the little younger cousin, now she’s a chic 20+ year old (closer to 30 :)) lady. Dinner was at a Japanese restaurant near Columbia Business School.

USA Trip Day 9 / May 19, 2006 Friday

I'm on top of the world! It’s technically my first day in New York. I arrived from SoCal late in the evening. Bula dropped me off at Scarsdale’s train station around 1PM and I had a taste of THE CITY around 2PM. Bula was right when she said bring an umbrella. It was a chic small umbrella so it fit well in my bag. Grand Central Station was really grand. Built in the 1850s, the Grand Central Terminal stands today as one of New York City’s most famous landmarks. It was good I was using a digital cam, had I been using an old school 35mm, I would literally say I finished a roll of film just taking pictures of the structure. Next stop was the Empire State Building. A visit to NY will not be complete without a visit to this building. It was good that the line was not long lest I would have postponed my trip to the top of the tallest building in NY. I passed by and took pix of the New York Public Library which was featured in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.” When I was in NY, movies showing were Cars and The Da Vinci Code. I checked out Times Square, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and went inside stores along 5th Ave that interests me. I saw the Philippine Embassy Office, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Metro Bank and Trust Company. Dinner was at a relatively cheap diner. Cheap means an $11 tab plus 10% tip. Back home that would be a t-bone steak at an upscale restaurant. I went home around 10PM in Scarsdale. Yes, I did have fun.

USA Trip Day 8 / May 18, 2006 Thursday

I slept at Tita Ita’s house in Torrance. My cousin Rachelle Capulong picked me up around 8AM and we had breakfast in their house in Venice, Ca. Though I’m not much into houses, it’s a pretty house. The location is great, LAX airport was just a stone’s throw away. I met my new nephews Bodhi and Kai and her hubby Ari Hakeem. T’was very nice to see family especially those who I haven’t seen in a long time. The next 5 hours were precious because the flight from LA to NY gave me a chance to rest. I left LA around 12NN and arrived in NY at 8PM. There’s nothing wrong with your math, my friend. The flight time is 5 hours plus a 3 hour time diff from west to east. Gutch, my cousin Bubbles Luchango – Yamaguchi’s hubby picked me up at the airport. The last time I saw my cousin was at least 8 years ago. Aside from her family and the new environment, Bula hasn’t changed. She’s still the bubbly Bula who loves to tell lotsa stories. I used to kid her that our relationship is like a radio, she does the talking and I do the listening. My high school and college life would not be complete without a Bubbles Luchangco.

USA Trip Day 7 / May 17, 2006 Wednesday

“Say Ah!” Picture taken at the Shark Encounter at San Diego Sea World. Celine took the day off and showed me around San Diego. We went to the church where Celine & her cool hubby Rich got married. The church is Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala founded in 1769. An 18th century church that is well maintained!!! In our country, 20th century churches don’t even come close to maintenance. Afterwards, we went to Sea World. Yes, we saw Shamu. In fact, we saw Shamu 1, 2, 3, 4… I’ve heard of Shamu since I was young but I realized that Shamu is what they call a Killer Whale. I took the Amtrak train called the Pacific Surfliner from La Jolla to Irvine (that’s about an hour) and was met by Uncle Pong Lacsamana. We had dinner at a mall with my cousins Jason and Tim who I haven’t seen in nearly 10 years. Uncle Pong was right, his two travel tips are: 1- pack lots of stories and 2- plan your itinerary but be satisfied if you hit 50% of the sites that you targeted.

USA Trip Day 6 / May 16, 2006 Tuesday

I stayed overnight at my friend Celine’s house in San Diego. When asked what I wanted to do, I requested that I sleep at least until lunchtime. The word "rest" has been alien to me since I arrived 6 days ago. My body was complaining already so I had to compromise. We had a very quick lunch at Panda Express near the Park Valley Center train station. Then I was off to my overwhelming San Diego City tour. I took the Old Town Trolley Tour. The first stop was Old Town San Diego Historic State Park. The tour took us to the airport where we saw low flying airplanes, Cruise Ship Terminal, Seaport Village, Marriott Marina/Convention Center, Horton Plaza/Gaslamp Quarter, Coronado (Mc P’s Orange Ave), San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park (El Prado) and some locations in the 1986 Top Gun movie. The whole page of this website is not enough if I detailed my trip. There was just too much interesting information that I learned that day.

USA Trip Day 5 / May 15, 2006 Monday

Rina took the day off and accompanied me to more sight seeing. We went to Mission San Juan Capistrano, it's an over 200 year old well preserved community. We also went to St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church where Kobe Bryant got married. Very nice chapel. It offers a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean from inside the church. We had Tacos for lunch. We passed by Farm to Market arcade. It was not part of the itinerary but we just had to stop. I’m sure my father would LOVE seeing the old but colorful farm equipment display. This is art! in the perspective of farmers like me. Rina asked me to try cherries, my first time, but didn’t like the taste. We went to Wood’s Cove where we saw another view of the Pacific Ocean. Then we went shopping at Robinsons May. I didn’t buy much because I was reserving my major shopping in Florida. The sales tax is cheaper there and by the time I reach Fla, I reckon there would be tons of memorial day sale. The highlight of the day is that I drove from Laguna Niguel to San Diego. That's about an hour and a half drive using Rina’s Civic. We had a mini reunion in San Diego with ex-Smartees Cecile Pulido and Celine Pido.

USA Trip Day 4 / May 14, 2006 Sunday

Tita Jing & I had breakfast at a local diner. I am amazed at the size of the meal servings. The meal was good for 2 persons! So this explains why the average height of Filipinos is 5’5” (Yehey! I’m considered “above” average) while the average height of an American is 5’10.” My friend Rina Santos & her roommate Agnes Cruz picked me up at Tita Jing's place around 1030AM. We went to mass in Torrance. The choir sang a slang version of “Hindi Kita Malilimutan.” It was another day of pasyalans, we went to Cathedral of our Lady of the Angels where Lea Salonga got married. After lunch, we went to Dana's Point overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We went to the marina and walked from end to end. That was one long walk but very relaxing.

USA Trip Day 3, May 13, 2006 Saturday

Tita Jing & Tita Tessie brought me to the Glass Chapel also known as Wayfarers Chapel located on the shore of the Palos Verdes Peninsula offering a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. The first time this chapel was introduced to me was through a picture about 20 years ago when my mother visited the chapel.

Our next stop was at Saks Fifth Avenue to buy the love of my life a Coach shoulder bag. In this part of the globe, it’s called ‘purse.’ I know I said I was on a tight budget but this is an exception. And the items that I got for my kids are also exceptions.

In the afternoon, my two Titas and I went to the J. Paul Getty Museum in LA. T’was very nice! Their garden is picturesque. It’s a haven for museum buffs like me. But I don’t think the children will find the place interesting. The Getty Museum is so big! It has a cluster of at least 6 buildings. And they even have their own tram (a train system).

Dinner was at a buffet all-you-can-eat in Torrance. I stayed at Tita Jing’s place in Torrance. Tita Jing is one of my godmothers and I have not seen her in at least 20 years. I used to write her often when I was in my teens. After almost a 15 year respite, I will resume writing to her.

USA Trip Day 2 / May 12, 2006 Friday

The day started early. The call time was abt 8AM but I was up as early as 6AM. I went outside Tita Ita’s house and just walked around, have a feel of the “most sought after” country. The weather was a few centigrade colder than Baguio City. Tita Ita, her daughter Jenny and myself had breakfast at Jack in the Box. After breakfast, we were off to downtown LA. On our way, we saw the Staples Center where the Lakers and the Clippers play basketball. The first stop was at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The LA Music Center was just across the street. Then we went to Hollywood blvd where we saw the Kodak Theatre, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood star walk and went inside Ripley's Odditorium. We saw the Hollywood sign via the viewing deck of Hollywood/ Highland Mall. Lunch was at a Persian restaurant. Whew! We’ve already covered so much and it’s only been half a day.

After lunch, we were off to Beverly Hills. I enjoyed Beverly Hills because of the high end stores (I guess the word ‘sale’ is taboo in that part of town) and the high end vehicles. The place was like a car show – Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins abound. Our star gazing proved to be a success as I saw Denzel Washington driving a spanking new black Porsche Carrera 4S.

The last stop for the day was Santa Monica. They have a very nice promenade. I successfully resisted the shopping temptation. My first US purchase was a Nokia 6101 phone at a T-Mobile store for $50. It was more of a necessity than a luxury purchase. I computed it already and it's cheaper this way than using the international roaming service of my Philippine based cellphone. Sorry Smt, I was operating on a self-imposed-real-tight-budget. Dinner was at a Japanese resto in Santa Monica with Tita Ita and her two lovely daughters Jenny & Tina.

USA Trip Day 1 / May 11, 2006 Thursday

I left our place in Makati around 5PM. My PAL flight was at 1030PM…being excited is an understatement. I didn’t mind waiting. I also didn’t mind the 12 hour non stop flight. During sleep breaks, I watched Narnia & KingKong on the inflight movie. My seatmates were Kapampangan and was tempted to talk to them but I wanted my rest so I was on “silent mode” the whole time.

I reached LAX around 8PM. It took me almost 2 hours to get out of the airport because of the luggage release delay. The travel tips from my parents, relatives, friends the travel agent helped a lot. The US immigration officer asked a lot of questions but I believe I was able to give the right answers reason why he allowed me to enter their country. Also, they did not bother to open my luggage despite declaring food - baked products. I was fetched at the airport by my Titas Ita & Tessie. I stayed at Tita Ita’s house in Palos Verdes, CA. I slept around 3AM since my body clock was still adjusting. Besides, I slept majority of the 12 hour flight.

USA Trip Day 0 / April 19, 2006

My journey to the US started on April 19, 2006 when I was interviewed at the US Embassy in Manila. While I was really, really hoping to get a US visa, I was praying that He'll lead me to the right path. If I get a visa, I’d be grateful. Else, I’ll patiently wait for my time.

Here are some tips on getting a US visa which proved effective for me:
1. The US Embassy in Manila probably receives 500 applicants a day and my guess is that only 10% is granted a visa.
2. Arrive at least 15 minutes before your appointment time.
3. Read as much information as you can. It's pretty much like applying a job.
4. Stick to authentic records. Thou shall not falsify.
5. Wear comfortable clothes. No need to wear all the jewelries from your heirloom.
6. Follow the steps to the letter.
7. Internalize all possible questions and have a ready reply to them.
8. Answer questions direct to the point. Don't beat around the bush.
9. Avoid suggesting information that is not relevant or not asked by the officer.
10. Be pleasant. Say Good morning/afternoon and Thank you.