iPostcards from Cambodia-Vietnam-Singapore-Taiwan

Under Construction - Coming Soon!

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We're back!
Had a fabulous time!
It was an eye-opening trip of a lifetime!
Will share postcards/travelogue/pictures soon.

CAMBODIA

VIETNAM

SINGAPORE

TAIWAN

Out on my vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical

I will be out of the country on my

vaca-SEAN/SABA-tical
in Singapore-Vietnam-Cambodia
from 14OCT-27OCT.
In case of emergency, please contact my manager/agent/publicist.

My U.S. Citizenship Exam/Interview

Thanks to short-term memory, I now know more of U.S. history and government than most native-born Americans, and/or those raised and educated in this country!
I passed my U.S. citizenship exam with flying colors of red, white, & blue and got a perfect score!

The immigration officer who conducted my exam/interview was a fellow Filipino, but unfortunately, instead of being nice, turned our to be a big jerk.
Blame it on "crab mentality", I guess.
He questioned me with a cloud of suspicion from the very get-go.
It's a good thing I was quite confident with my responses,
and my memory of my past answers and details served me well. I was nothing like the nervous wreck that I was during my greencard interview more than five years ago...LOL.

He then asked me if I was interested in changing my name legally. Hmmm...Sean Gates or Sean Buffett doesn't sound bad for an Ameican name, I thought for a very brief moment...
Nah...my family would never forgive me. Besides, never say never, there is still that chance that I may be able to sire a son one day who will carry on my family name.

For the English speaking/writing test, I was flabbergasted to be asked to write the very simple sentence, "I enjoy going shopping everyday." Gosh...and here I was ready to recite the Gettysburg Address to him.
I was also as ready as any bad American Idol hopeful, to belt out The Star-Spangled Banner. Apparently, it wasn't a requirement...LOL.

After passing all the requirements, I was then informed that my oath taking will be scheduled for 25OCT. Shucks! I told him I couldn't make it, since I am due to be back from my vaca-sean in Indochina on 27OCT. I requested if I could be rescheduled on the next one.
He taunted me by asking, "Why don't you cancel your trip?, What is more important, being a U.S. citizen or your vacation?!...Okay, I will indicate here that you don't want to take the oath!"
No, it's not that I don't, but rather I can't, sir!, I politely but firmly responded.
"Well, this can create a problem for your application and it might take another six months to a year before you get a notice.", he further teased. It seemed like this man was in the mood to try to push my buttons, so I played it cool.
Oh well, I'll just have to wait for the next scheduled oath taking.
Hopefully it happens before the general elections on 07NOV.

It is so ironic...one of the reasons I wanted so badly to become a U.S. citizen a.s.a.p., aside from having the right to vote, was so that I could travel with a blue U.S. passport, to avoid visa requirements to most world travel destin-a-SEANs.
And here I am going to travel using my newly renewed Philippine passport to go visit Vietnam & Cambodia, both of which do not require a visa for citizens of the Philippines and other ASEAN na-seans. Bill and my other American friends/travel companions, on the other hand, are required to have one for each.
So it worked out perfectly in the end.

The American-iza-SEAN of moi is near!