My New York City Adventure (5 of 5)

Trip 5: January 2009

I just spent Christmas in the Philippines then a few weeks after, I flew back. Yes, I did.

I am now subletting in Park Slope. This is a lovely neighborhood in Brooklyn. I chose this because my son will visit me this April and this area is very conducive for kids.

I have had a handful of adventures so far. Super. But I feel I am not ready to share these yet. This I can say, NYC is an exciting but tough city. Maybe in time, I’ll share some of the adventures and misadventures.

My New York City Adventure (4 of 5)

Trip 4: November 2008

I did not have a specific reason why I went to NYC that time. I just missed it so much. Everytime I watch CSI NY or any TV show or movie shot in NYC, I felt a tugging in my heart.

Also I felt really lethargic in Manila. To tell you the truth, it is only my son that gave me energy. I didn’t even go out or see much of my friends.

So I went back.

1. I subletted in Williamsburg. It is a cool place in Brooklyn, very near Manhattan. There are lots of restaurants, artsy places and people. I’m off the Bedford L Stop.

This is Parallel Parking, NYC style. Bumper to Bumper. Pic taken in Williamsburg

2. My two roommates were guys. This was a first for me. But it was cool. They are cool people.

3. I met other interesting people as well – an engineer, a start-up founder and a guy who loves salsa.

4. I had another salsa class conducted by a Google engineer. He loves salsa and teaches it for free in his free time. He’s a good teacher too. I met very interesting people in that class from all continents of the world. I love the diversity of NYC!

5. I became more familiar with the East and West Village, and the Upper East side.

6. Oh and since Trip 3, I don’t bring a subway map with me anymore. I just hop on a train and look at the maps in the station in case I get lost. Important things to remember are in which avenues the subway lines are, where you can get from the east side to the west side, and what stations have the most transfers.

9. I saw my first Broadway show, Chicago with my HS friend and her friends. It was good!

10. My City Moment:

As I was walking from the east side to the west side and I stopped in the middle of Columbus circle, looked up and just marveled at the skyscapers, then looked around and marveled at all the cars and people. Inside the Circle, the sounds of the city toned down a bit. They say it is because of the way Columbus Circle is designed. Nonetheless, you just can feel the hectic pace of the city.

My New York City Adventure (3 of 5)

Trip 3: June-July 2008

It was after a conference in Michigan that I dropped by NYC again and not only that, extended my trip for a month! I didn’t stay with my mom’s friend in Brooklyn because they had a falling out. 

1.  I discovered SUBLETTING! And I discovered truly how expensive space is in NYC. I and my friend Alyssa, who flew in for LA and stayed in NYC for a week subletted a place in the Upper West Side. She stayed for a week.  I stayed in the UWS for a month. 

2.  I had American girls as roommates.  The first one was a native New Yorker.  She teaches in a Bronx Elementary school.  The other one is a law school student from Indiana.  We hung out and went to a wine place, a dive bar and some restaurants.

3.  I played tourist guide to Alyssa, although I am a tourist myself.  We went to the basics- 42nd, Central Park, Rockefeller,Statue of Liberty.  And we watched Sex and the City when it was showing .. in New York City!!!

4. Again, of course, we went clubbing.  I met some few interesting people. I am slowly getting to learn the rules here when it comes to dating in NYC — there are NO RULES.  You make your own!

5. I supposed to go skydiving but the weather conditions prevented it.  Twas a shame. 

6. I subletted another place in Fort Greene in Brooklyn after my sublet in the UWS expired.  I discovered good good varied restaurants in Brooklyn.

7.  We went to Hershey Farm in Pensylvannia with my HS friends.

8.  I celebrated my birthday with the guy from Trip 2. It was very nice.

9. For some reason, I felt I had money during the trip.  I grew tired of the subway and took cabs. NYC cabs have a small TV and can accept credit card payments. Isn’t that cool??  Then after I tallied all the cab receipts, I vowed to take the subway if possible.  NYC is an expensive city, that’s all that I can say.

The TV with the info channel and a credit card swiper. Love it!

10.  My City Moment:

Walking in Battery Park after our Statue of Liberty Trip and then going past by City Hall and heading to Wall St.

My New York City Adventure (2 of 5)

TRIP 2: (November 2005)

This is when starts to get interesting. That year was full of drama for me relationship wise. So I decided to go back to my favorite place to “unwind and find myself”.

1. I still stayed with my mom’s friend in Brooklyn. They moved further up to Avenue U. They are a nice Filipino family and they cook good Filipino food.

2. I tried the NJ Transit. I spent Thanksgiving with my HS friends in Jersey. One flew from Seattle. The other drove from Virginia.

3. I explored Central Park with my HS friends. It was fun!

4. I geared up for autumn with the signature “all-black” New York look.

5. I went clubbing with my HS friends 3 nights in a row during Thanksgiving weekend. We entered into one club that was “exclusive” for a group of people. We didn’t know it. People there stared at us until we felt uncomfortable and left. We went to another one with so many, many handsome guys but very few girls. We said, “Yay!!”. But then when we saw the guys holding each others’ hands we realized that this won’t be our scene. We had so much fun. We laughed and laughed until we decided to drink beer and watch TV in a sports bar. When it closed we waited for an hour in a cafe so we can get the first morning bus to New Jersey where our HS friend lives.

6. I dated my first native New Yorker. I liked him. I really did.

7. I went to MoMa with my college friend. I also went inside the American Museum of Natural History and the Wax Museum alone.

9. I got to know the subway a bit better although I still need to bring my map.

No shortage of Underground Talent in NYC

10. My City Moment:

When I was riding the Q train going back to Brooklyn at 7AM , a group of Mexican singers with a violin, caracas and guitar jumped on board. They sang a Spanish love song as the Q train gave a wonderful view of the Manhattan skyline. That was my last day in the City.

My New York City Adventure (1 of 5)

I am still in NYC now.  Yep.  Still in the Big Apple.  Come to think of it, this is my 5th trip here in the last 4 years and I have spent almost 6 months here if you put all the trips together.

I have different adventures each trip and I would like to share them with you in this 5-series list of the stuff, events, people I found memorable each trip.

HERE GOES:  TRIP 1

This was my first trip to the US and for some reason, I chose New York City to be the first city to visit. I arrived alone in JFK. My dad’s friend picked me up and took me to their house in Long Island. I stayed there for awhile then stayed with my mom’s friend in Brooklyn.

In NYC, for my first trip, I was on the Brighton Beach Stop.

1.  The Subway.  My mom’s friend in Brooklyn just gave me a map and a few instructions on how to get around. 

2. I got familiar with the Q train. I got off  Avenue U.

3. I went to Statue of Liberty, Museum of Natural History(without going in), Moma(without going in), Wall St. , Empire State Building alone.

4.  I didn’t take a SINGLE PICTURE during that trip.

5.  Always brought the subway map with me and I counted the number of stops to know where I am.

6. Went out with 3 high school friends for dinner on the night before Halloween. Saw costumes galore. I didn’t even know where we went. All I know was it was in Manhattan.

7.  I ABSOLUTELY got lost when I took the train to Long Island by myself.  I got off on the other side of the tracks at 10PM.  With my luggage, no cellphone and a thin jacket in a cold autumn night, I walked along a deserted road looking for a payphone. No working payphones.  I had no way of contacting my dad’s friend. It was dark, cold and scary. I felt that it was a setting of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. After walking for almost an hour, I decided to go back to the train station.  Fortunately, I walked on the other side of the track until I finally found their house.

8.  First taste of Dean and Delucca coffee.

9.  There was this guy in a subway (probably late teens early twenties) with his gang (with the gold chains and all) trying to talk to me at 11pm.  I was scared.  Good thing there was this middle-age guy in the same car as we are.  I breathed a huge sigh of relief when they got off their stop.

10.  My City Moment: Walking along 1st Ave, passing through United Nations holding my Dean and Delucca coffee.  I just felt comfortable.

I didn’t really know about the city and didn’t take the time to know the ins and outs.  I just reveled in being in the city.

Tips on Getting a Canadian V1 Visitor Visa

I was given a B1 Visa to go into the US for some meetings. I want to visit my friend in Toronto after my meetings. I didn’t have time in Manila to apply for a Canadian Visa so I decided to apply for a Canadian Visa here in the US.

Here are some differences I noticed between applying for a Canadian Visa in Manila and in New York

In Manila:
1. They have more requirements if you apply for a Visa in the Philippines. For instance, they would want to know if you have taken any Caregiving course. They also require a letter of invitation of you are not on package tour. Plus the person inviting you must also submit proof of his/her Canadian citizenship or residency. They also require 6 months worth of bank statements in the Philippines.
2. You have to call the Call Center and schedule an appointment or have your documents sent to the Canadian embassy via courier.

In New York:
1. You can apply for a Canadian V1 Visa in New York or other Canadian Consulate in the US if you are in the US on a B1 or B2 Visa.
2. The people in the Canadian Embassy call center in the Philippines told me that if I apply in New York I would have one week waiting period before I get my Canadian Visa. Well in my case, not true. I went to the Canadian consulate in the city without an appointment. I applied for my visa there, had my interview and received my visa in one day with no waiting period.
3. They (the call center in Manila) also told me that I have to send my application docs via courier to the Canadian Consulate. Well, I didn’t have to. I just went to their Visa Office in Midtown East (51st and 5th) with my docs and they processed my application right there and then.

Tips:
1. They only accept applications for Canadian Visitor visa between 8AM to 10:30AM.
2. Don’t use the Canadian Supplemental Application form from the Philippines. Use the Forms they give you in the New York Office.
3. Have the application fee ready. I paid $130 for multiple entry visa. Oh Btw, they don’t accept $100 bills. Prepare $50s and $20s.
4. They will give you a checklist of docs you have to have in your application. From what I remember, they ask the following:
- Forms (Application and Supplemental)
- I-94, Current and Old Passports
- Proof of Income (Certificate of Employment) or if a student (Certificate of Enrollment)
- Invitation Letter
- Itinerary
- Proof of Funds (Bank statements)
You can ask for a checklist of the required docs in the Consulate.
5. I tried calling the Consulate to ask questions regarding my visa application. It was useless. They don’t entertain questions over the phone. They will just refer you to their website -> see this link.

Two Funny Flowcharts and a Graph

I like making flowcharts. Here is a flowchart that is simple, clear, concise, true and yeah.. funny!

How do you communicate with Britney Spears? Try this flowchart and sing along …

Okay.. so I don’t get tired to 300 jokes… sue me.

Images from graphjam.com

Blackberry vs Iphone

I had a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition. I had that phone for a year and I loved it. I love that it has the Facebook app and all the Instant Messenger applications and I loved the fact that I can receive emails instantaneously. It was easy adjusting to its QWERTY keyboard. It didn’t have a built-in camera but I liked my BlackBerry. It had that “busy executive” image.

Then the Iphone came. I always thought that the Iphone was overrated and just a product of good marketing. I still stuck with my BlackBerry. Until the time when I was forced to exchange my Sprint-locked Balckberry with my friend’s open line Iphone temporarily because my Blackberry.

For a couple of weeks I cursed my Iphone because for the life of me, I had a hard time texting and its predictive text had a hard time learning my Filipino words. I also hard a hard time with its controls. Then as days pass, my complaints about my Iphone lessened as I realized the convenience of its built-in Ipod. I have now realized the importance of listening to music while walking and commuting in NYC. The Iphone apps make the hours shorter as I wait in line or wait in an airport. And of course, the built-in camera is also a plus for me. The wifi capability of the Iphone saved my on my data charges, that’s for sure. The only thing on my wishlist for the Iphone though is BlackBerry’s push email technology. When my friend and I exchanged back our phone, I got my Blackberry back and she, her Iphone, I must admit, I kinda missed the convenience of the Iphone.

Thanks to Globe’s Iphone promo where you get an Iphone 3G 16GB at around $300 at 0% interest for 12 months, I got myself a white Iphone. Now I can say that although I still like BlackBerry, now I am an Iphone convert.

Year of the Rat almost over … Hello Year of the Ox

Advance Kung Hei Fat Choi !!!!!

The Year of the Rat (this year until January 25) has been a tough year for me.    2008, Chinese astrologers say is not a good year for us born under the Year of the Monkey. Here are their 2008 Predictions. 

 1. A mixed year for the Monkey in a Rat year, on first glance many will predict a bad year but if you look deep the year can be good for the Monkey and even exceptional if you are aware of potential problems as you can avoid them and this lets you move on.
–> In other words, they predict a bad year.  Yup, it was a bad year.
 
2. Be careful of people who you thought of as friends stabbing you in the back and also be aware that the clash of elements can also cause family disharmony.
–> I was so disappointed in two people who I thought were good friends.  I did not expect it.   Yeah, and there were family issues also.

3.  This is a good year to keep low and ensure your tactful nature is on full alert. 
–> I exercised extreme tact in some iffy situations this year.   I think it paid off.
 

4.  This is a good year to learn new skills or hobby and perfect for study and taking exams.
–>  I was supposed to take the Series 65 exam this year.  Because of the financial crisis, I decided to do otherwise.

The year of the OX is fast approaching.  I wish for love, peace, success and happiness this coming year for all of us.

The exact time of the Chinese New Year, when I will don a polka-dot outfit and jump up and down will be: U.S.A. – New York January 26, Mon 02:55

Outsourcing and the Financial Crisis

 A well-known international company here in Makati has required all their employees to take exams. If an employee fails that will give the firm reason to lay off that employee. Some clients of outsourcing companies have terminated or not renewed their contracts.

If companies are bankrupt or don’t have the budget , then for certain, even if the outsourced service is cheap, they will discontinue it.  If companies are cutting costs but still have the budget (and of course are not bankrupt), then they might have to consider outsourcing. 

Outsourcing is just one option of trimming the fat from the budget.  Laying-off is the cheapest and quicket way to cut costs.  Salary cuts are also a quick easy fix.  Having a one person do multiple tasks that had been done by several people before at even a lower salary  is another way to save money.  These  are propositions  accepted by US and European employees  due to the dearth of options.  For outsourcing to be a viable option, it  has to be significantly cheaper and has to produce, right away, with a fast and cost-effective transition. 

 The fraud perpetrated by Satyam, India’s 4th largest outsourcing company, when it inflated their earnings report,  will in near-term cause an operational and contractual mess that will affect other outsourcing companies but I believe, it will not affect the viability of the outsourcing business model.  The differences in foreign exchange rate and coutry cost of living coupled with the accelerating technology is an economic reality  companies cannot ignore.  Some good may come out of the  Satyam fiasco.  This incident  tells governments to exercise better controls and put more effort in the outsourcing industry. 

In this growing globalized landscape, with cost cutting foremost on the agenda because of the financial crisis, there are more, new, different opportunities for outsourcing companies. But in this increasingly competitive economy, outsourcing companies also have to be on the look -out for new markets and new services to offer.  Medical transcription, affliate marketing and knowledge-based outsourcing are just some new trends to emerge. Government support should be palpable.  Training for professionals in the industry should be intensive.  Information and communications technology should be continuously developed and improved.

There are a lot of “ifs”, “buts” and “to-dos” for the outsorucing industry especially in this financial crisis.  But I believe this is not something the industry cannot overcome.