Matsuri Festival

There are many events that you can enjoy here in Phoenix. This one was at the Matsuri Festival in downtown Phoenix. It's being held yearly for free. You can just come and enjoy the rich Japanese culture. Just find a parking lot or parking garage around the area and pay the parking fee. That's all you have to pay. There are lots of Japanese stuff like toys artworks memorabilia and food. 

I love these paper cranes. There are hundreds of them here hanging with marbles attached to them. really nice.

Frugal In America

Back in 1996, I was fresh off the boat, after a few weeks and getting my first paycheck, I went to a sports shop called "Just For Feet". I looked around to see what they had. I saw some customers picking up some items and I kind of like, I want them too. So, to cut the story short, I picked a shirt and a pair of shoes. I paid $20 for the shirt and $88 for the Adidas shoes. 

At that time I really don't have any idea of what and where to shop. I told myself... If the prices of all the clothes here are all like this, I won't be shopping for a while. Yes, those for me are very expensive!

As I got accumulated into my surroundings, I found out that it was just a matter of knowing where to shop. Later on, I found some really good shops where you can buy clothes at a bargain price. There are places that I go to like, Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc. It's just very important to look for the obvious imperfections or damages. Products in these retail shops are mostly factory rejects because of minor mistakes. I am not picky so, minor issues are fine with me.

And yes, I'm half Ilocano!

Homesickness

Homesickness never really goes away. I've been away from home for about 26 years now.  Arizona is my second home and it's a beautiful state. When you're alone and your mind is empty, you sometimes think about your life when you were back home. 

You saw some of your friends abroad on social media getting together surrounded by friends and there's food and activities and they are very happy. It's good for them because I know how it is to live abroad. For most people like me, it's an opportunity to cope with loneliness. So, it's a blessing to have friends around.

Since I don't have my family and relatives here, my friends are my family. It's good to have friends that you can go and ask for help. From as simple as asking if they have a screwdriver to asking them for a big favor. I can't imagine not having friends around to help you in times of need.

I have some relatives here but they live in other states. I was really happy when I had the chance to visit them. It was really great when they found out that I was in town, they drove for a few hours so we can have a mini-reunion. I've seen my aunties and cousins whom I have never seen in a while, since almost like when I was a teen. Now, we all have our own families.

I sometimes contemplate going back home but, I always think of my kids. There's no doubt that there are more opportunities here and this is where they've been raised and the two were born here. So, It would be a big change for them if we moved back home.

So, for me, I have to sacrifice genuine happiness for the sake of my family.

Living in an apartment

This is Montecito apartments here in Phoenix. 

Fox gave us 1 month's accommodation when we arrived in August of 1996. We had a modest one-bedroom unit just about a mile away from Fox Animation Studios. After a month I started to pay for my own bills and I found it hard for me to sign the checks and let go of my hard-earned dollars. Lol!

It was a pretty decent apartment. We had a pool to cool off during the summer. We didn't have a washer and dryer in our unit but there was a laundry room in the complex. 

I learned a lot about living in an apartment here in America. You will have neighbors with different personalities and attitudes. I had a Filipino friend and co-worker who lived across my unit. He was talking on his wireless phone just outside his door. My next-door neighbor went to him pointing her finger to his door and asked him to go inside his unit. He went inside then she left.

The same neighbor banged on our wall with a hammer at 12 midnight while we were sleeping. She did it for about 10 minutes. I should have filed a complaint to the admin office but decided not to.

Some neighbors are friendly and some people you could tell that they don't like you. 

These experiences made me miss my neighbors back home in the Philippines.

(The apartment used different names since we moved out due to a change in ownership)

A Tasty Memory

 As a child, I remember a man on his bicycle with two drums attached to it selling bread. He would go around the neighborhood in the morning and I will never forget how he rang his bell while yelling at the same time in Mandarin accent "Sali-sali tinapay, padi-coco"  translation - Assorted breads, pandicoco!(a local dinner roll with sweetened coconut fillings)

The best part is, that they were freshly baked and so tasty. 

Those were simple days back then.

Zoom Meeting

This was my office before the pandemic. I am now working from home so, I kinda miss this work spot.

 There was a funny situation today. While we were having a Zoom meeting and while the CEO was talking, we heard somebody ordering food at the drive-through. Haha.

Credit Score

If you're planning to move here in the U.S., there is a very important thing that you need to know. Credit is a major factor here. It is very important that you maintain a good credit standing. 

When I moved here, I didn't have any credit history so it's almost impossible to get a loan. The banks didn't have any information about how I take care of my finances as a consumer. Good thing that my employer helped us by being our guarantor. 

If you don't have support from your employer the best thing to do is to ask a relative or a friend to be your co-maker. They will co-sign the loan documents with you. In this case, the bank can use the co-signer's credit score as a reference. In the event that you cannot fulfill your obligations, the bank will go after the co-signee. Make sure that you don't miss a payment as it would ruin or affect the co-signee's credit score.

Today I learned that my credit score went 1 point down. They said that the reason is, I paid off a long-term loan. I was so surprised! I was expecting my credit score to go even higher because I paid off a "long-term" loan. I have a very good credit standing because I'm really conscious about it and I always try to pay my bills on time. 

Banks wanted you to have loans or credits. If you don't use a credit card or for example a car payment or a mortgage, they would give you a low credit rating and give you high interest rates.

So, if you have plans of migrating to America be aware that you have to maintain a good credit standing. It is very important to know as you will need to apply for loans like car loans or mortgages.

This is life in America.

Garage Sale

I checked my garage looking for something that I needed when I saw all these items just sitting there for years. There are just so many of them that we don't really need anymore like the baby crib, car seat shoes, etc. So, I decided to have a yard sale. 

So, I went to a dollar store and bought some boards along with a marker and made some "garage sale" signs. Then, by Friday night, I went through the items in my garage and grabbed the stuff that we didn't need anymore. I got up early morning on Saturday and put the items out on the driveway. Then, I put the signs strategically on the streets in our neighborhood.

People started to come. Most of them got out of their cars and checked out the items, but some just drove by. People already knew what they were looking for so, they didn't bother getting off their cars if they didn't see the items that they were looking for.

To the folks that bought the items, I gave them a good deal. Instead of me putting the stuff back in my garage I might as well give them away. 

We were done around 2pm. I brought and donated the unsold items to Goodwill.

I think we made $125 that day.

Flashback, to when I first came here to the U.S. some years ago. I have friends who came here ahead of me. We worked together back in the Philippines. So, I heard their stories about buying their stuff from yard sales. It's understandable that when you come here, you don't practically have anything. You start from scratch. You have little pocket money but you need things for everyday life. So, every weekend I always go around and look for signs on the streets that say "Yard Sale" or "Garage Sale". After a few hours, you'll find your car full of things. Some of these are really needed and some are just bought by mistake. It's funny because I had a 2-door car and I was able to put some big stuff in it. I sometimes bumped into friends and we were looking at each other's stuff that we bought and sharing information about where we got our stuff.

Life when you're FOB! :)

Flashback

I saw this view on Google and I remember a story. 

Commuting in Manila was a challenge. Most people don't have cars so we take public transportation. As for me, I have to take 3 different rides to get to work. First was a jeepney which takes me to Guadalupe in Makati. Then a short bus ride to Pioneer St in Mandaluyong and finally a trike to get me to the studio.

I remember this scene after I got off from the jeepney and walking in this uphill street to get to the bus stop, I was approached by an old lady. She reached out to my hand and asked me to help her walk. She seemed exhausted and having a hard time walking. So, I helped. I felt great I was randomly doing a good deed that day. After a few steps, she raised her other hand and asked for money. I was surprised. So, I reached out to my pocket and handed her some money.

Then, something amazing happened. After getting the money, she quickly changed direction and walked away. Zoom... there she goes. She was walking fast. Faster than me. She was not that old apparently.

As I continued walking, I felt like a hero to zero. But it was still a good deed though. It's just, she had a different way of asking for money.

Zoo

I don't really like animals being put in a zoo. We should leave them alone in the wild unless they are rescued and or in the twilight of their life.

When I was new here in Phoenix, I visited the Phoenix Zoo. I was happy to see these animals roaming around freely in a big open space free of predators. The predatory animals also have enough space to walk around.

I can't help but to compare this zoo to the one we have in Manila which I always frequented when I was young because of its close proximity to our house. Animals there are living in bad conditions. I see monkeys inside a 3x3 sq meter cages. I remember the time when they put a seal in a 10-meter diameter pool with dirty water. What do you expect? The poor animal didn't last and died.

The city of Manila is currently doing a massive renovation of the Manila Zoo. The animals will have a better place but most of the improvements will only benefit the visitors. The animals still won't have enough space. The Manila Zoo's land area is just too small. 

Arizona Sunset

We have beautiful sunsets here in Arizona. It's not always but when there are some clouds, you have to be quick with your cell phone camera, they'll change or be gone in minutes. 

All of my job locations were on the east side so, driving is always a challenge because the sun is always in your face. Driving to work in the morning and there's the sun in front of you. Then you drive back home in the afternoon there goes the sun again. The good thing is that if you drive home at dusk you sometimes get lucky to have these beautiful Arizona skies.

Christmas in October

 Back in the Philippines, we started celebrating Christmas in September. So, you would see Christmas decorations around businesses. Of course, you'll also start hearing Christmas songs. 

I was surprised to see Christmas trees and decor when I went to Lowes today. And it's Only October the 20th. It's not even Thanksgiving yet. So, I went around and looked for a good tree at a reasonable price. Price ranges from $79 to as high as $699. They all go by different types of materials and sizes.

Not really planning to buy one yet but I noticed one tree that is really really nice and the price is very reasonable. It is the one that is selling pretty fast because there were only a few boxes left. So, before they ran out, I grabbed one and put it in my cart. It was quite heavy though.

I purchased the 7.5 ft for $138.

We never had a Christmas tree since we disposed of our old one 10 years ago.

Next, will look around for some ornaments.

American Healthcare System

 A Visit to the Clinic

So, I guess this is my very first post. I went to a clinic for a minor procedure. I was surprised when they told me how much I should pay upfront to get the procedure done. And yes, I have health insurance but, I have bad insurance coverage. I basically paid for the whole amount. This one really hurts the pocket. It took about half an hour of waiting and another half hour with the procedure. 

To think that my health insurance company is taking about 700.00 monthly from my paycheck and when I need to use them you will be very disappointed. I have to meet first my deductible which I think is about 1400.00 per year. So, once I met my deductible, that's when the insurance kicks in.  But, they will only cover a portion of the bills. I still have to pay my part.

This is America folks! The healthcare system is so broken.  Oh, by the way, my employer pays half of my insurance premium which is 700.00. So, that's 1400.00 per month multiplied by 12 and that's 16,800.00 yearly premium that goes to the insurance company and they basically don't pay anything unless you meet your deductible.

Before I forget, I paid $930.00 for a minor procedure and expect to get another bill or bills in the mail from lab work, etc.

This is life in America.