I HATE MY PASSPORT




Actually, what I really wanted to say is that sometimes I hate being a Filipino. I hate the fact that, except when going to South East Asia or Hong Kong, being a Filipino means having to get a visa for just about any other country in the world. It has gotten to be such a nuisance that I think its preventing me from getting more exposure and more plum projects in the office. This week, I was supposed to go to France for a kickoff meeting for a big project and I wasn't able to join because my Schengen visa is still in processing. And to think that this is already my second Schengen visa in four months. I can't figure out why the folks in the French Embassy keep giving me three month valid visas when I had very clearly stated in the application form that I need a one year visa. I can only guess that it has something to do with what's boldly emblazoned across the cover of my passport.

And last Friday, my boss told me that I'll also take the lead in supplier selection for the big nuclear plant project in the US. No problems there, I already have a US visa and it won't be expiring until 2010. But the thing is, the major suppliers for this project are based in the UK. And the UK is not part of Schengen. So that means another visa application, another day getting interviewed for a UK visa, and another round of explaining why I need one. This is getting so very frustrating.

I know that nationality is an accident by birth. I hope that in a couple of years, I can finally undo this accident.

IF YOU WANT IT SO BADLY...

This post is for a very good friend. I wasn't able to say goodbye to her properly when I left Manila, but she knows how much I miss her. Even though we're both too busy with our own lives, I know we both make it a point to check each other's blogs and see what's going on. Xy, I know I've been bad and I haven't made any effort at all to update my blog with anything relevant about what's happening in my life here, but you know how it is sometimes. And speaking of effort, here's my take on your last post.

When you want something so bad, you don't leave things to fate and hope that it, whatever it is, will swing your way. Anything, be it work, relationship, a new hobby, these require a certain amount of effort to make it successful. Your "project", if you don't mind me calling it that, requires both of you to make it work. Although we have never talked about it (and now I'm wondering why we never had the chance to talk about it), I can see how happy you are with him. He's a very lucky guy to have you as a partner, and I hope it will still turn out to be a happy ever after story for the two of you.

MORE OF VINCENT BUENO

Apparently, Vincent has experienced performing in public before. Here he is, giving it up for a Vienna audience as front singer for Sarah Geronimo during her concert there.



I'm pretty sure talent managers in the Philippines are lining up to fly Vincent over to the Philippines for concerts and shows. So what do you think? Magiging Kapuso o Kapamilya si Vincent? Hahaha!

PINOY WINS AUSTRIA SINGING CONTEST

Vincent Bueno, a 22 year old son of Filipino immigrants in Austria, has just won Austria's premiere singing talent contest. Vincent competed against nine other contestants and in a very thrilling two hour show, came out triumphant after besting two other finalists.

The weekly show, called Musical: Die Show, is the Austrian version of USA's American Idol with a twist. Instead of normal pop music, the contestants are required to sing their favorite songs from Broadway musicals. Vincent's repertoire included songs from Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, Phantom of the Opera, and Miss Saigon.

In winning the contest, Vincent not only brings home with him €50000, but pride for the Philippines as well. Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Vincent!

BUT I JUST GOT HERE

One of the things I hate about horoscopes is reading something which totally goes against what you want to happen to you. Like this Chinese horoscope I got off from the web. Sure, I love to travel. But do I really want to move to some other place again? I'm just beginning to get my seat warm here!

Overview

Your sign is Tiger.

It’s a year of mobility for the tiger. This means you will be doing a lot of moving this year. It could be either by way of traveling, moving to another home or office or experiencing some kind of life-change. You can look forward to traveling more a lot more than usual, whether it is for business or pleasure.

Fmaous Tiger: Leonardo Dicaprio, Stephen Chow, Debbie Allen, Kofi Annan, Sir David Attenborough, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands,Victoria Beckham, Beethoven, Tony Bennett, Tom Berenger, Chuck Berry, Jon Bon Jovi, Sir Richard Branson, Emily Bronte, Mel Brooks, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Agatha Christie.

Your reading:It’s a year of mobility for the tiger, which means you will be doing a lot of moving around this year. It could be either by way of traveling to far off places, moving to another home or office or experiencing some kind of life-change. You can definitely look forward to traveling more a lot more than usual, whether it is for business or pleasure.

If you are accustomed to constant changes in your life, you will find you are better able to deal with these upcoming changes. If however, you have gotten used to living a more staid and placid life where everything is pretty much constant, you may find it a bit more difficult to handle these disruptions. Do not start worrying about it unnecessarily; not all change is bad after all. You may just get a promotion and move to a bigger office or you may get lucky and find a larger house that is within your budget that could move into.

If you were born during spring or summer, you are in real luck. All the changes that take place are likely to be good ones. If you were born during autumn or winter on the other hand, you may want to brace yourself for some unpleasant changes. While it may not be all that bad, you certainly won’t have it as good as those lucky Tigers born during spring and summer.

Try and refrain from acting impulsively when it comes to career decisions. Even if the going seems tough, even if you seem to be traveling a lot but are not getting an adequate traveling allowance, even if you’ve started taking a dislike to your job; hang in there. This is not the ideal time to make career changes as the more changes you initiate, the more likely you are to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Dig your heels in and rough it out; the tough times will not last forever.

This is a profitable year for Tigers who are self-employed and for those who belong to certain professions such as doctors, lawyers and accountants, where you get paid for the amount of work you do. But you will have to work hard to earn your money. If you are an insurance salesperson, a financial consultant or a real estate agent you should concentrate on expanding your client base as more clients means more money earned.

Your lucky star, Yi Ma, which means traveling, changes and movement, signifies your improved odds of getting a new and better job. Go ahead and make career changes if you were born in spring or summer. If you were born in autumn or winter, you may want to resist exploring new opportunities and prefer to stay on in the old job, no matter how much you may want to change.

Gu Chen, which means loneliness, refers to the loneliness you are likely to feel when you are travel on business trips by yourself.

Si Sang and Sang Men, two other stars in your constellation, signify that you should tend to the health of the elderly family members. These two stars have a mild influence and do not do too much harm.

Your Palace of Parents is fine too so no need to worry about that either.