0 How to get a Passport in the Philippines

This post is a week late. Sorry for that.. :) Remember my post about my very strong urge to go to ye old Nippon(Japan)? (if you haven't read it, here is a link for you) Well, I took the first step to achieve it! (clap! clap! Pat on the back.) 

Last August 24, I went to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to apply for a passport. The whole process took about 2 hours at most because there are many people also applying for their passports. (Random thought: Do my fellowmen really want to leave our country that much?) Take note though that before the said date, I went to the DFA website to get an appointment. You cant walk-in on DFA without an appointment. Here is a step by step guide on how I got my passport.

BEFORE APPOINTMENT DATE

1. Set up an appointment

DFA will not accept applicant without a valid appointment. You need to set your appointment via their website here. The site contains a step-by-step process that is easy to follow. 

2. Gather your Requirements

Aside from your form, you also need to submit some requirements needed to process your passport. Personally, I prepared the ff.

         a. Original NSO birth certificate.

         b. Company ID (original and photocopy)

         c. Voter's ID (original and photocopy)

for more information about passport requirements, please refer to this site.

3. Print your form

After setting an appointment with DFA, click the confirmation link they will send you on the email that you have provided. Print the PDF form that will appear after clicking the link. Do note that the form's format is for a letter size bond paper (8.5"x13"). On the first page, it will contain your appointment date and time plus reminders from DFA. You need to show this form to be able to enter DFA premises.

ON APPOINTMENT DATE

DONT BE LATE!

Personally, I have this tendency to always be late. Being late is a big no no if you don't want your schedule to be moved to another date. Especially if you have your job and filed for a vacation leave. I almost missed my schedule so be there on time! give at least 30 minutes allowance aside from your usual travel time to DFA. Also, you will be advised to be 30 minutes early from your scheduled appointment time so stick to that time allowance. For new applications, you need to go to the new DFA which is just a couple of minutes away from SM Mall of Asia.

upon arrival, you will need to give your printed form to the station near the gate. He will sign on the form and scan the bar code of your application form.

Step 1: Processing and Document Evaluation 

On this step, the staff will validate your requirements if they complete and valid. Once validated, the will give you a passport slip like the image below. It will contain the amount that you need to pay when you go to step 2. Here, you may chose between regular processing( 950PHP), which will take 15 working days, or rush processing(1200PHP) which will take about 7 working days. Since I dont have any immediate travel plans, I chose the regular processing. You may now proceed to step 2. Step 2 is located on the second floor.

Step 2: Payment

Together with your receipt, proceed to the cashier and pay the amount indicated in your passport slip. 

Step 3: Encoding

This process took up most of my time. Took more than an hour because of the number of people also applying. After paying, get your queue number like the one on the picture below.

A screen will be flashing the current number being served as well as the booth number you will go to. Once your number is flashed, proceed to the booth and have your picture, signature specimen and finger prints taken. The actual process of encoding took about 5 - 10 minutes at most.

Step 4: Additional step

 for those who want their passports delivered at home or at the office, you need to pay 120 for the shipping fee then chose the courier you want. I chose 2GO because the encoder there work fast compared with the others (particularly LBC, where I lined up first). 

This is the last process that you need to do. You just have to wait for your passport to arrive. Good luck!

0 Mail time

Two packages arrived in the mail for me today! :) (actually there is also a letter that arrived today but its just the credit card bill so I wouldn't post about that one.) Look what I got! 

Packages for me! I just love opening them :)

The white one was a gift pack from Unilab Nutritionals containing 2 180 gram pack of Athena Milk. I used the coupon found on my Belle De Jour 2012 planner to claim the item. Scanned the coupon and emailed to to their email address, athenamilk.unilab@gmail.com. The exchange went well and I got a quick reply from their staff unlike the Carbtrim coupon which up till now, I havent received any reply. (bummer) Because of this, I will love BDJ planners for the rest of my life. lol. I just love freebies.

Housewaybill 

I was supposed to get the items yesterday. Someone called me up and asked for the directions for my house and they said that they were near the area so I was expecting them but it just arrived today. This is the first time that someone wasn't able to find my house. Its quite easy to find.

the items from the package. 2 180 gms box

it says no other milk understands you better. 

The other package is from Human <3 Nature! Batch 3 of orders from me. (I am a proud Human <3 Nature dealer). I'm gonna deliver these orders tomorrow to my customers :)

Human <3 Nature waybill

Personally, I'm a Human Heart Nature user. I believe in their products and the advocacy of the company. The products are 100% Natural and doesn't contain any chemicals. Who wouldn't want that right? Not to mention that Human Heart Nature products are super effective. I'm not exaggerating. I've been using their products for months now and I can say, my skin has never been better!

the "pizza boxes"

upwrapping the package

Nowadays, products, especially cosmetics contain loads and loads of gunk that are not only bad for you but also for the environment, can cause cancer, and are using animal testing. Fortunately, A company like Human Heart Nature exists! They are pro-philippines, pro-environment and pro-poor.

the items

I pledge to spread goodness T-Shirt (S)

More items!

all items

all items 2

For those interested in Human Heart Nature products and want to order, you can reach me via comment or add my shop, Kawaii Neko Shoppe as a friend on facebook. :) 

For more information about Human Heart Nature, please click this link.

-=KASUCHAN=-

0 The "ME" Two Years Before

Looking back at my life two years ago, I can't believe how many things in my life had changed since then. Two years ago, I was employed in a different company, doing different work, and being with different people. Two years ago, I was still together with my ex. Two years ago, life was so easy for me then. Someone straight from college and entering the corporate world. I was optimistic, full of passion and so innocent about the "real world". I was full of childish dreams of how to live my life after college. Oblivious to the fact that I will face many hardships as I go along.

A picture of me two years ago. I look so young *^*

Fast forward to the present, new company, new people and new love life. As I compare myself to the person I was, I begin to notice a significant difference in the way that I view things. I was a weakling before. By weakling I mean that I was afraid to take risks and always go with the flow. I always look around other people and follow them. I tend to always be what people call "normal". I do not dare go past those boundaries. For me before, normal = cool. I was contented  living in my comfort zone. I shy at other people and don't talk much. (maybe people I met before thought that I was an imbecile -_-#).

Today, I believe that I'm stronger now. Whatever decisions I have made in the past, right or wrong, I regret nothing. Those things taught me many things in life and made me the way I am today.Those things made me stronger. So far, I'm happy where I am at. Though of course, I still want to continue changing for the better. :) (as the saying goes, change is an ongoing process ;) ) Though think my childish ways will never leave me, but at the very least, I can act mature and be responsible for my actions :) Also, I was such a tomboy back then and now I want to change that :p I want to be a girly girl too. (I'm a late bloomer I know :/ ) I realized  I'm not getting any younger and so I have to live life at its fullest. Make memories, travel the world, explore new things, conquer each passing day and be victorious while you still can! Enjoy your youth while you still have it. In the future, you can share the things you learned with your children.

A current picture of me. Just barely a week old. That is not actually a lost tooth.  I have braces.

The world as i see it now is ripe and ready for the taking. You just have to have enough drive and effort to grab it. opportunities come and go so grab them while they are still within your reach.

-=KASUCHAN=-

0 50 off at Starbucks

For those coffee addicts out there, Starbucks has an ongoing promo today from 2 to 5 pm. slash 50 off your favorite starbucks drinks. Grab it while you can!

0 Geeky Glasses

After 3 years of wearing correction lens, I'm back to wearing glasses again. Ever since I was in third grade, I've been wearing glasses for my astigmatism. ( Geekery to the highest level ) I was a geek since birth! Hahaha! *evil laugh* ehem.. Back to the topic, what triggered the change was that since my work involves facing the computer for extensive number of hours, my eyes tend to dry out often. The drops don't help much and I tend to have tired-looking eyes hours after removing the lenses. I always squint my eyes and have difficulty in looking at bright lights (even going out in daylight) I feel like a vampire. I encountered this difficulty more often while I was switching from contacts to glasses but know my eyes have more or less adapted to wearing glasses again.

Wearing contacts is convenient especially when doing outdoor activities but if I'm just at the office it reading, I prefer wearing glasses more :)) makes you look smart and geeky in a cute kind of way. Hahaha :)

-=KASUCHAN=-

2 My Zahir

I've just realized recently, I still have feelings for the jerk who left me.. Its been more than a year but I just cant seem to move on. Or more like I didnt give myself enough time to move on. I busied myself with other things. denied the fact that I still cared for him. I buried it deep inside my heart making myself believe that i'm okay.. that i will be okay.. but i guess things just doesnt roll that way. I need to confront my feelings so that I can finally live in peace without his shadow hanging over my heart. I need to sort things out with myself. Before it destroys my current relationship. don't get me wrong. I love the guy. Its just that i cant help myself thinking about the stupid ex and I don't like it. I think its unfair for my current bf. I want to give him my whole heart but the shadow is still there. I dont know how actually i'll do it, but i need to do it. I dont have any communication with the ex now so i think it will be the best for us. I need to let go of my feelings for him. i don't want to be a slave of my past anymore. life is short to be unhappy. :) betrayal and sufferings may come your way but dont let it get to you much. yes you can cry, God knows how good it makes you feel, then lick your wounds and move on. Thats life. accept it. you have no choice. Time doesn't stop when you decide to stop living. You will just be left behind. These are the lessons that I learned the hard way and I don't want to go back there anymore. I want to be free.

 I'm not the type of person who shows emotions much. I grew up that way. I don't want to cry cause I believe that it will make me look weak. I have always shown a hard facade, always concealing my emotions. But in the end, all that i needed was just a good cry and i'm done. Oh and writing helps too. I just recently discovered. Its therapeutic. I read in the book, The Zahir by Paolo Coelho that when you share your story to other people, it becomes your past. (I recommend the book it. its a nice read.) I think that is what i lack. I always keep emotions bottled up inside of me that there's no way out but to burst.

"Suffering occurs when we want other people to love us in the way we imagine we want to be loved, and not in the way that love should manifest itself - free and untrammeled, guiding us with its force and driving us on." - The Zahir, Paulo Coelho


“I love you” doesn't really mean that I want you to be mine again. In fact, it’s another way of saying, “I’m happy to see you happy even if its with someone new. Thank you for leaving my life” Yeah, so I guess I love you.

Goodbye to you my past. This time, I MEAN IT. :)

0 Intoxicated!

Shit. Deep shit. That's where I am now. I went drinking with friends yesterday and I got to drink a lot.. As in a LOT.. A whole lot.. Seems like my tolerance to alcohol is not that strong. I'm not a regular drinker so maybe that's another factor. I can't remember what happened. As in total blackout.. Dunno what kind of stupidity I did.. All I remember was my 6th bottle San mig lights.. And riding a jeepney going home.. Shit right? By the way, I've been saying that word again and again today since I woke up. Everything in between, I can't remember. Thank God I got home safe and nothing bad happened to me. The horror! I have no intention of repeating that incident again. I mean it! I need to fix myself. I need to find peace.. So help me God..

3 Curls and Twirls

I Decided to tie my hair in a bun out of a whim and voila, when I removed the bun, my hair looked like this! I like it though and I'm debating whether to get a permanent curl or tie my hair up everyday like this :)) I'm getting tired of my straight hair 'cause it's been like that since forever. The most adventurous thing I've done with my hair was to change its color. (from dark brown, medium brown, all other shades is brown, and finally dark golden brown ) that's it. Boring right? Oh well. Well see what happens ;)

0 Travel bug strikes again!

Hi, I'm Yza, and I love pandas. As in suuupeerr love pandas! (one of my dreams is to be able to hug a baby panda. :)) So imagine my delight when one of my dearest friends who is now residing in Japan tagged me these photos: 

A pandabus! I wanna ride this!  

Panda stuffies! Yay!

More panda merchandise! I soo wanna go to Ueno,Tokyo right now :/

Because of these photos, the sleeping traveler/adventurer inside me began to stir again. Its decided! I'm going to Japan next year! I don't care what it takes! bwahahaha! *evil laugh* Actually, being an anime fan, I have dreamed of going to Japan since I was little. The panda pictures just hardened my resolution. ;) I'm fascinated with the Japanese culture: f how they can be modern and conservative at the same time.

Things to do before Japan trip:

1. Get a passport. 

You need to have a passport if you want to go anywhere outside your country. This applies to everyone. no exceptions.

2. Get a travel visa.

You cant go to japan without a visa.  In my case a travel visa. I still need to apply for a travel visa. Information about getting Japan visa can be found here. This is applicable for all unless you are an American, European or Australian (who are allowed visa-free entry to Japan for 90 days)

3. Save money.

Hopefully I get to save enough dough for this trip. My travel fund is nearing rock bottom and based from what I have researched from the net so far, for 15 days in Japan, you need to have at LEAST 100,000 PHP or roughly about 2,365.26 USD . *sigh* Fortunately, I still have a year to save and hopefully that will be enough. Worse comes to worst, i'll sell my kidney. (kidding!)

4. Plan itenerary.

I have many places that I want to go once I'm in Japan. Kyoto, Akihabara, Tokyo, Osaka etc. hopefully i get to squeeze as many destinations as I can in my 15 days (maximum number of days to stay in Japan for travel visa) stay there and of course, bond with my friend who is generous enough to ask me to stay in their place. God bless them :) Thank God for wonderful friends! I love you Phoebe! :)

5. Buy plane ticket.

how do I get to Japan from the Philippines(my beloved country)? Best option is to fly by plane. :) I'll be on the lookout for promo fares to Japan being the cheapskate that i am :) Best option is Cebu Pacific Air because they are the cheapest and they occasionally give seat sales. You can go to Japan for 7-9k all-in roundtrip ticket during seat sales compared to the regular ticket which will cost you about 20-30k. One of the drawbacks though is Cebu Pacific only flies to Osaka (Kansai). You still need to ride a bus or the shinkansen to go to other major cities.

6. Earn enough leave credits and file for a leave

I don't know about other companies but in our company, we get to have 15 leave credits per fiscal year. I need to budget my leaves so that I can earn enough leaves good for at least two weeks. (less travel trips for me. boo! :( )

7. Learn basic conversational Japanese

If I were to travel alone, I need to stock on my Japanese vocabulary so that I wont get lost before finding my friend. especially since I will arrive in osaka (if i were to push thru with my plan to ride on cebu pacific air). My friend is located at Niiza-shi, Saitama, roughly 2 - 3 hrs away via shinkansen from osaka. I still have plenty of time to get lost. lol.


I think that's all I need to do. For now. :)

-=KASUCHAN=-

1 New Girl in Town

Hi, Im Yza, 23, from the beautiful country of the Philippines. I'm a programmer by day and ninja by night.(wishful thinking. lol.) I'm a very random person so my interests range from extremes. I love reading, art, photography, travel, panda cubs, strawberries, puppies, and anything cute or weird that spikes my interest. I have attempted to create blogs before but abandoned them after a while. Hope this one lasts :)

 I have a photoblog:http://strawberryshakepanda.tumblr.com/ so if you are interested, you can drop by it and please leave a comment so that i can improve my craft more. 

as I said, I Iove travelling. I have recently been bitten by the travel bug and is currently suffering symptoms of wanderlust. My goal is to travel the world! (or at least half of it). 

P.S. I also have an online shop. if you have time you can check it out:

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kawaiinekoshoppe

That's all for now! :)

-=KASUCHAN=-