Learning Another Language—beginning with Spanish

It’s on my Top 5 list on what I want to accomplish in the next five years. I have started doing my self-study lessons late last year but had overlooked it when I got so busy looking for another job early this year. Now i'm back to it again.

When you are learning a language, the best choice is to enroll in a language school. But what if your schedule cannot accommodate such plan? As for me these days, I work at nights and I sleep on mornings. I haven’t found a language school yet that suits my schedule. Or sometimes, you just cannot afford to pay for a language school which, unfortunately, is also applicable to me. So what do you do then? Do you just give up on your goals? I don’t think you should. There are always other numerous internet resources.

• Chatrooms – just have to be very patient and cut through every crap of meeting people who wants to view your cam and ask you to do BS. There are actually helpful chatters out there and friendship is a plus while learning a new language.
• YouTube – I love YouTube and it’s always one of my research destinations.
• Language forums and community –my friend Van told me about Rosseta Stone Shared Talk and it’s quite cool.
• MP3s – this is how I currently study Spanish I. I have downloaded mp3s from a website I found using Google Hacks. I have a link to Spanish lessons MP3s and aside from Spanish, there are also mp3s of other languages like Japanese, French, Korean, Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, German even Hindi, Irish, Romanian and Vietnamese! I cannot post the link here though. I am not sure if it is legal. But if you want the link, I’ll be happy to email it to you. Just leave your e-mail address on the comments area and will get back to you as soon as I can. ¡Que tengas suerte!

Photo above by Darren Robertson

Your Best Choice on Italian Dining at La Jolla San Diego, California

What will complete lounging on sandy beaches, viewing the rustic shoreline, posh shopping experience in an upscale community and the best diving and snorkeling adventure in Southern California? It is an unforgettable dining experience in Trattoria Acqua, an Italian restaurant in La Jolla, San Diego California. It is casual dining place overlooking the La Jolla Cove and Pacific Ocean that gives a Mediterranean Italian ambience and boasts of award-winning service and authentic Italian recipes.

Dining is truly one of the criteria that define a travel destination like La Jolla (“the Jewel” in Spanish) and Trattoria Acqua will not disappoint on this area. Whether it is an intimate dinner for two or for a family, a lunch with business associates or with friends, Trattoria Acqua can accommodate every kind of customers for every type occasions from its sumptuous Italian menu delicately prepared by some of the most well-known chefs in the area. They also keep a wide variety of wine collections to choose from to match and indulge on your Italian feast. So, if you are looking for the best choices of Italian restaurant in La Jolla, Trattoria Acqua should definitely go on your list.

Weekend Testosterone Overload

Men love bloody, painful things. And the TV remote control. My brother is the perfect example. I stayed in all weekend because I was not feeling well. It also meant sitting through every bloody testosterone-driven shows my brother is watching on TV.

There was the UFC 97: Redemption broadcasted from Montreal, Canada. Anderson Silva won over Thales Lietes by unanimous decision. The crowd gave him boos, they thought it was a boring fight. There was just not enough blood. Chuck Liddel’s lost to Mauricio Shogun Rua is career-turning and can be very well the end of his UFC days.

There was also the WrestleMania 25 which is at least, always entertaining. When I was fourteen, I thought myself in love with Shawn Michaels. A decade and some later, Shawn Michaels is still in WWE and almost took away Undertaker’s 16-0 winning streak in WrestleMania. John Cena won the World Heavyweight title, snatching it from Edge and the Big Show on a unique three-way fight.

There was also the Fast and the Furious Sunday morning boxing event at Araneta Center where two Filipino boxing stars, Ryan Villoria and Nonito Donaire won over their Latin and American opponents, respectively. After that is the PBA basketball game of Alaska vs. Purefoods. I was happy at this point, I am a fan of Alaska Aces and they won.

My brother is currently getting interested with American Football. And I was thinking, really, can’t the overflowing testosterone on TV be enough?

US Embassy Non-Immigrant Visa Application Step by Step, How-to’s and Tips

Non-immigrant Visa is a visa issued by the United States of America to citizens of other countries who wish to enter the country for a temporary purpose. There are several visa classifications according to the purpose of visit.
Before you appear in US Embassy in Manila for the non-immigrant visa interview, make sure you accomplished the following checklist:

• Accurate and complete information on your DS-156 form with 2X2 photo. Photo should be a frontal shot of your face with both ears showing. Photo should be against white background and of you in business attire.
• Accurate and complete information on your DS-157 form.
• Passport
• Confirmed Interview schedule with the US Consul done by internet. Print email confirmation. You can do this by calling the call center or accessing online appointment application via their Visa Point™
• Paid Visa Application fees. DS-157 should have a machine validation from the bank when payment is made. Payment is roughly amounts to Php 7,000 when converted to peso.
• Letter of Invitation from business entity or family relations from USA
• Additional supporting documents depending on the purpose of your intention to enter the US Territories (Business, Work Permit, Tourist)

The Manila US Embassy where the non-immigrant visa interview is conducted is located at Roxas Boulevard , it is in front of the Bayview Park Hotel. See Google Map of US Embassy in Manila, Philippines.

The illustration below is the current procedure in applying for Non-immigrant Visa. Procedures could be subject to change at any time in the future but this is a good idea of the general step by step.

STEP 1: Non-Immigrant Visa Entrance
Fall in line in the non-immigrant queue. Reception attendants will confirm your appointment. Present your confirmed interview print-out, DS-156 and DS-157. A barcode sticker will be attached to your passport and Air21 form will be issued to you. Fill-out the Air21 form if your visa is approved.
STEP 2: Security and X-Ray
You will pass through a security check and your belongings will pass thru an x-ray machine. NO electronic devices and gadgets of any kind are allowed inside the embassy (cellphones, mp3 players, flash drive, etc). It is better to leave these items at home.
STEP 3: Pre-Screening
Pre-Screening is done in The Pavilion area. You can fall in line any one of windows labeled C, D, E and F. Present your DS-156, DS-157, passport and supporting documents. You will be given your QUEUE NUMBER. Keep this until the end of the interview. Proceed to the Waiting Area and wait for your Queue Number to be called.
STEP 4: Finger-Print Scanning
Queue Numbers will be called in random. Pay attention to this. When your number is called, proceed to the Finger-print scanning window where your finger-prints will be processed. After your prints are processed, they will return to you your passport, forms and documents.
STEP 5: Interview with the Consul
Wait for your Queue Number to flash on the queuing screen. When it’s your turn, go to the assigned window and present your documents and passport to the consul. The consul will ask you questions regarding your application. The consul will then inform you if your visa is approved or denied.
STEP 6: Visa and Passport Delivery
The consul will keep your passport if your visa is approved. You can now go back to the Pavilion where Air21 delivery service is located. Fill-out the form and pay the visa and passport delivery charge. Standard delivery time is one-week.

Some Helpful Tips in Applying for your Non-Immigrant US Visa

• Make sure forms are duly accomplished and documents are complete and accurate to avoid delays. Information on your passport should be the same of that written on your DS-156 and DS-157. If a question in the form is not applicable to you, make sure to write N/A or Not Applicable.
• Arrive in the Embassy at least 2 hours before your appointment time because queue lines can be very long. Arriving there early will give you ample time to go through the pre-screening process so you can make it on your scheduled interview with the consul in time.
  Answer the consul’s questions and explain in clear, short and concise manner. This is helpful for the consul and you.
• Make sure that you know pertinent information regarding your application that could include but not limited to:
  a. the purpose of your visit
  b. your relationship to the person who sent you the invitation
  c. dates (example: if you are attending a family member’s wedding, the date of the wedding. If you are going there for a training, the training dates)
  d. planned destinations in USA
  e. length of stay
  f. who will pay for your trip
  g. guarantee of your return to the Philippines
• Be honest on the information provided. Any fraud found will be subjected to refusal of any form of visa from the embassy in the future.
• You can bring a book to pass the time while waiting for your turn.
• Bring bottled water.
  
  Visit the Manila US Embassy for more information on Non-Immigrant Visa

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Googlers fun lunch times – the innovative Google culture

Google must be one of the most admired companies in the world and mostly it’s because of the people that work on it. The curiosity of its people is endless and there’s never an experiment that is too silly or too mundane to take on for them. Take for example their latest lunch time hobby posted in the official Google blog, Will it Lens? It’s childish and hilarious but it just goes to show that they are having fun at work and are not are walled by corporate niceties. They actually make time to experiment even without clear objective or expectancy of results. But even so, it is quite obvious that there is a collective culture of continued growth and search for progress and of new way of doing things. This teaches us to continue challenging ourselves and go beyond our comfort zone and also, have fun while doing it.

You don’t know me --makes me cry

I was tweaking with my cousin’s newly bought laptop on Black Saturday at their house when she asked me to play a CD. There were only track numbers, no track titles. She told me to play Track 15 and told me not to cry. I love my cousin in the whole world but she sometimes has a sick sense of humor. I shrugged, raised one eyebrow and said fine; no matter what it is I won’t cry. I knew from the first few notes that I would cry, I got teary eyed when a woman’s voice started with the words “You gave your hand to me, and then you said hello. And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so. And anyone can tell that you know me well…but you don’t know me”. It’s amazing that there’s a song that can make us cry and i'm not really embarassed to confess this.

My cousin, true to her mischievous nature said “I think she’s lesbian, listen to the line “I watch you walk away, with the lucky guy”. I got teary-eyed and laughing so loud at the same time with her comment. Silly, of course Jann Arden is not lesbian (as far as I know). The song was first sung by Ray Charles. The lyrics were not altered when Arden covered it.

I always relate the song to the movie that always makes me cry too no matter how many times I have watched it. It is particularly the scene in My Best friend’s Wedding, when Julianne met Michael at the airport. Someone used to and still always tell me that I’m such a cry-baby, yes he would know about that since I have cried on his shoulders so many times before but I do wonder.. if he ever knew me at all…

Ray Charles singing "You don't Know Me"