Meet Callie Maggotbone

This is the woman that caused my Honey's testosterone level to decide that I should get a pencil-styled skirt like the one she's wearing above. I went searching for video clips just so I could get a glimpse of this Callie who has been Honey's bukambibig for quite some time. I was so excited as I thought I could see an extraordinary corporate attire... to my dismay! Gosh! Haha! Okay okay... so, Honey was telling me to get me a skirt like Callie's okay... and I'm kinda convincing myself since this afternoon if this kind of skirt will be put in future use at all. Let me dream tonight. I will have an answer to myself tomorrow.

The skirt is still part of the preparation for the infinite getaway by the way. =)

Getting Ready!

In preparation for my infinite getaway with my Honey, I had to prepare big time for my mom. The preparation includes a laptop and a speedy reliable internet connection so I and my mom could still communicate everyday if she wants to. Honey has been very supportive with this preparation; he knows very well that this is the very first time that I'm going to live away that is half the world away from my mom. Since birth, it has always been me and my mom sharing the bed together (the sanest explanation why I can't sleep alone), and my mom needs time to get used to living the next days without her precious she devil daughter. For the most part she has to get used to the silence, to sleeping alone in our room, and to the unsolicited slavery. She has no master to serve now – in the physical sense; however, it is time for her eyes thru her lenses to get used to rendering her sermon in front of the computer screen – in a virtual sense! Yeah, what my mom would really miss is someone who she can vent her angst to. Haha!

So here I am, testing the net connection that was installed thru the help of my cousin's boyfriend, in fairness: the signal is satisfactory. For the last hour I already taught my mom the following techie things:

1. How to turn on the computer;
   
2. How to properly log off thru shut down;
   

I've created her Yahoo ID, so the learning also includes:

1. How to sign in to Yahoo Messenger;
   
2. How to look for my name and start sending me messages
   

So far, all that came out from her mouth were… kalisud ba aning computer!

GOD PLEASE GIVE ME A POSITIVE ENERGY is my spiritual cry.

I can do this!

Visa is here!!!

At last! What a relief! After days of tracking my package online via Air21 and after days of encountering "tracking number not found", visa is here at last! I have all the right in the world to keep on repeating the word at last because it is just too overwhelming! Honey is already on the go go to schedule my flight!

I was approved on October 8, and seven days after on October 15 (less than 10 working days as was contained in the Air21 notice) I got my visa. I have to share it here that I almost went paranoid when I found out about Air21's useless online tracking tool. I guess I have the right to say it was useless because it was not functional at all when I had to track my package. I asked some friends whom I met at St. Lukes, and they too got the same feedback about the courier's online tracker. It is good however, that to compensate for the online tracker, Air 21 used SMS to inform us to prepare the things necessary to retrieve the visa pack upon delivery --- and they sent me the SMS the day before delivery. At least. They also sent me the very last confirmation message that I, Catherine Lorin received my visa on this date and at this time.

For all of you who are maybe at the moment are slowly becoming uneasy while waiting for your visa to arrive, just keep your cool. I guess it is just better if you follow whats written on the notice, to not schedule travel arrangements, and to not resign from your current jobs until you receive your visa. Why I almost went paranoid is because I resigned 3 days after I was approved, and 4 days before my visa was delivered. Mine might just be a case of overpowering good luck and might not work the same with the rest. Nevertheless, have the guts and the instinct of good luck to guide you all girl friends. ;)

Sent Honey a copy of my passport today. Counting the days to close in on my way to Honey's habitat, and just thinking about it really makes my remaining moments here sooooo damn precious! There's a lot more to prepare, and more than you could ever imagine! Aja!

4th day: AWAITING MY VISA PACK

I spoke to Honey today. Told him about the tracking number Air21 gave me to track the whereabouts of my visa. Unfortunately though, this is the third time since the day after I was approved that I tried to track for my package and still the system only renders me a "tracking number not found". Hala! Ayaw jud ko binuangi diha! Naka resign na baya ko kahapon!!!

US Fiancé Visa Approved!

October 8, 2010 at exactly 8:20 am was one pivotal point for us lovebirds! After 14 months of long wait, the US Consular Officer approved my visa! What's sweet about the whole thing is, the entire wait from my high school until yesterday was all worth it! A month more to go and we are ending our long distance love affair already! In no time, I'm truly going to be honeyfied forever! At last!

Filing for a K1 (Fiancé Visa) Petition: The very first time is very important

As I mentioned, three months after Honey filed a K1 petition on my behalf, it was denied. What went wrong was, we overlooked some of the most important instructions and just sent Forms I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé) and G-325A (Biographic Information) along with the filing fee of $455 to USCIS. Brayt.

When Honey filed for a K1 petition the first time, he did not seek legal advice. Honey was too confident not to consult a legal counsel as he thought the filing process for the K1 petition is the same and as easy as when he filed for his US citizenship. Honey actually asked me to download the forms from the USCIS webpage, and also the instructions form so we could review our work together. After he filled up the forms, he read it to me to confirm that the information we provided were correct. We both were confident we did the forms very well and sent it to the USCIS address found at the instructions form, and waited 3 months for the notice that our application was denied. =( The moment was really heartbreaking. That was the first time I saw Honey so confused and was almost teary-eyed. Good thing he was here in the Philippines during that time the petition was denied so we shared the bad news.

The reason we were denied: insufficient documents. I forgot the exact words the USCIS used but it was the lack of documents and/or evidences to establish that I and the petitioner have a relationship. The instructions form said it in a not so outright manner that we thought the evidence will be asked from us by the USCIS after they confirm our application. We didn't think twice that we need to send the evidences along with our application forms so neither of us was prepared to hear the bad news as we were both too excited the moment we filed the petition. My friend Suzzette told me and Honey that our case was denied due to inadvertence or simply put, katangahan. We went to an Attorney (not an Attorney who specialized in Immigration) to seek help in filing for an appeal to reopen the case. After we were denied, the USCIS sent us an instruction on what to do next, and picking the wrong Attorney caused us to follow just what the USCIS told us to do. I will be discussing more of this in my next posts.

So here's a very important tip for those who are filing for K1 Petition for the very first time, especially if you don't have an Immigration Attorney to assist you in the filing: Send a completed Form I-129F and Form G-325A along with the filing fee plus the evidences that the petitioner and the recipient have a relationship. The evidences may be in the form of photos (photos with dates are most helpful, but labeled photos are just fine too), letters, emails, a copy of the petitioner's passport showing entry to the Philippines within the last 2 years and others that you may deem necessary to prove your existing relationship. I believe if you follow this tip, nothing could go wrong; the worst that you could encounter is a minor delay to your application especially when the USCIS will require additional evidence. So, it is always best to send USCIS all the evidences that you could provide to avoid delay. In our case however, we were super delayed, due to some other factors that I will be discussing in my next posts.

Our Evil Names

Nothing to do. I went to Blogthings to search for whatever substance is there in whatever form and I bumped into a survey What's Your Evil Name.There's nothing much to fill-in but just your name and gender and tada! Your evil name in less than two minutes! Intrigued? Try it now!

My real name is Catherine, and my evil name is Belinda Aiyana
Honey's real name is Rendel, and his evil name is Remington Chernobog

I like how my evil name sounds, but Honey's evil name does not sound appropriate at all! Sounds like a real psycho killer! Haha! Go to Blogthings to find out your evil name now! Have fun!

The K1 Visa Petition: How it came to be

The first time I heard about fiancé visa was from my previous country manager and that was during the early 2008. Me and Honey at that time was in the love zone already, still fresh – pero long distance lagi. I haven't really thought about the fiancé visa that much; all I know was there's a possibility for a petition if Honey and I survive the long distance relationship, but I didn't expect it was sooner.

When Honey was about to go back to the US from his first vacation here in 2008, he said he will immediately file for American Citizenship when he gets back so he can work on my petition. The petitioner should be an American citizen first to be eligible to file for a K1 petition, so Honey had to work his ass hard and prayed for too much patience I bet as he had to work from scratch. At first I thought he'd just file for a petition for me because he was moved a lot to the major major level when he saw me crying for the last two days before his departure date, haha! As I recall, I really felt the world was closing in on me that time and it was unusually harder to breathe, and I witnessed how Honey's heart went out for the cry baby those last two days. The moment he applied for US citizenship was the commencement of what seemed to be a very very very long wait just so I could be there with him. The time table for the US citizenship application till the moment Honey had his oath taking was approximately 3-5 months. It was on March 2009 that he officially became a naturalized American citizen, and a month after he filed for K1 Visa petition on my behalf. I was even hesitant to agree to file the petition on April 2009 as I needed some time to prepare my Mom emotionally, so Honey gave me until May and filed the K1 petition at the USCIS. Too much excitement at that time, but too much overlooked essentials also. On August 2009, during Honey's vacation here in the Philippines, we received an email that the K1 petition was denied due to insufficient documents. Why were we denied on the first try? I'll share on my next post. Still have work to do. =)

HoneyFied’s New Look! Again.

Finally! After hours and hours of trying to figure out what header size would fit, I now publish the n^th HoneyFied new look! Tell you what, the 692 pixels x 168 compression did not work for me, I don't know if the template design is a factor.

The reason why I changed the look is simply because I'm bored with the previous template, plus, I always thought of black background as the most powerful element in web design. Another thing, I did away with the navigation bar! Now I hope my readers couldn't see nothing anymore to click away from here haha! Aside of course from my Amazon banners, brilliant, excellent! Let this blog make some money Oh Lord!

So, I was redesigning this blog since 2pm and I just finished the whole thing just before dinner.

Another important note, during my online date with Honey this afternoon, I told him I was redesigning my blog theme and he said something like who cares about your blog?!!! Tell you what? Here, take a look:

A visitor from San Jose California? Not so surprising.

Date! Date! Date!

Woot! Woot! At last! =)

The best part is, the nuisances from home are away! Kaya, mabuhay!

Wanted: 1 night only roommate!

Since my K1 petition has been approved, Honey and I, especially Honey went too busy with the preparations. We had to schedule and reschedule my embassy appointment due to some considerations in health and in proper timing. I had my medical exam at St. Lukes on Monday and Tuesday and I am bound for my embassy interview on the 8^th.

I have this fear of sleeping alone in wherever; Honey was too considerate to allow me an escort in the person of my everydearest mom. The problem however is that I cannot find a reasonable airline ticket price for both of us for just an overnight stay! That is why I am in need of a roommate! Haha! Seriously though, I hope my brother's show will be postponed on the 7^th… praying hard and crossing my fingers =)

By the way, I retrieved a helpful copy of St. Lukes medical exam flowchart. I'll post it here soon as I have time.