YF@Buffalo

H1B1 is the special 6,500 visas left for Singaporeans and citizens of Chile!
The Downside: Singaporean PR are not allowed to apply to H1B1 (that’s me). But H1B1 visa applicants are not allowed to apply for the green card (PR in U.S.).

My Choices now are narrowed to:
-Change my citizenship to Singaporean.
-Finding a organization that is not subjected to H1-B cap e.g. Universities and Non-Profit Org.
-Taking up MBA (E-Commerce, Marketing, IT) — relocation? online? part-time?
-Trying my luck at H1B and fight with all the Indians and China people.
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It’s a sunny day. Even in the cafe. Soothes my eyes without the screen staring back at me. Grins.

I am thinking of getting PR(Permanent Resident) in the U.S.. I went to this workshop a few weeks ago named “Immigration and Work in the U.S.” on campus, and found several ways to work and stay in the U.S..

Every international student knows getting a H1-B visa is the next step after you complete your OPT (Optional Practical Training). But it is not easy, because it requires your employer to pay for and process the registration for you, so your employer must really love you. Once you get past that, you are subjected to the U.S. 6,500 foreign workers cap. This is where most people can’t get through. Or you can choose to work for organizations which are not subjected to the cap, such as — volunteer organizations or the Universities. Yes I know what you’re thinking, I can always try UB, my University.

Most people like getting PR. Because most people would have decided they love U.S. enough (more…)

My Notice of Action had an error on my name. I called immediately to change it 2 months ago. I must have forgotten all about it because USCIS sent me an email 2 days later to let me know the name has been changed successfully. Awesome.

So now my status is F1 graduate, waiting for my EAD card to arrive so I can start working.

I think I will start work on June the 13th. And it is on a Friday.

Every cell in my body is bubbling for some action. I don’t think I’m the sort that can go on vacations much. The weird part is, I think I’m quite similar to my dad in this area.

Writing is.

Feels too beautifully crafted to be spontaneously exciting.

Nothing made sense…
I’ve had a few bad stuff.
And now I’m hit with the best.

I’m tempted to think He is holding back.
Until I am punished enough.
But then I remembered He wants the best for me.
It is written.
And it is not until I found that out, that I have the best stuff.

For once, I want what I have. Wanting what you don’t have and having what you don’t want is far less than this.

Doing my education life’s last 2 homework. Imagine, from tracing letters to building a whole proposal

Now i can stone. Now i can fb without treating it like an escapade. Now i can go for the real adventure. Now i will wait. Now i can not sleep. Now i can…

“My brain is open.”

I like the boy, because he reminded me to be faithful in my search for my happy self. Even when others tell him something contrary to facts, we just have to rely on the Word of God — that He wants everything for us, “even as our soul prospers”.

A person who buys a product and has nothing but pleasant experiences with it may be less satisfied than the one who has an unhappy experience, but is well treated by the company as it fixes the problem.

Dad asked me to sign up for Northwest Airlines WorldPerks® Program. It is basically, a reward card for flight purchases. While skimming through the small text on the confirmation of my account, I can’t help but notice this:

If you own a small business, CLICK HERE to apply for the WorldPerks Visa Business Card.

There! Another reason to love U.S.. Another innovation. Another change. Another quick response from businesses. Another acknowledgment. Another hope for me.

A day ago, Facebook fed Lexicon into the news feed.

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What is this?

The moment I saw the word “online”, I’m excited. Because the word “online” means interactivity, instantaneous, going LIVE, connected somehow… (more…)

Today I went for my mock interview. And I can’t help thinking of the quote from “Into the Wild”: “I think a career is a 21st century invention.” Maybe it’s cos I was also reading an article on Religion and Architecture–the author touched on what Religion seeked to find, the very reason for the orgin of Religion—the greater meaning of Man’s existence; why are we on this Earth?

Had the most relaxing weekend in Rochester, with fellow Singaporean Lina. Drove 1.5 hours from Buffalo at a speed of 75 miles (120km/h) for most of the ride. WOW!

The sun was so good, we had to go to a park.
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Hello, I see that New Creation Church has allocated special seats to our wheel-chair friends. That’s good effort, would New Creation Church take one step further by considering Universal Design, and specifically cater to deaf persons too? For example, by signing live or putting up captions on the screen while Pastor is preaching? Many churches have done this in the U.S., even City Harvest Church in Singapore has signing service. On a personal relevance, I would like to bring a deaf friend to our church sometime. Thank you.

Hmmm… *thinks for a moment*. Maybe Modern Bohemian… I want none of those dirt and dust mites and I want 24 hours wireless Internet access…

More pictures and a video. (more…)

Problem: Cannot finish work. Used all weekend. Still cannot finish.

Me: Righteous. In Christ. Good. God’s Favorite.

Problem: Can’t find a job. Bleak future.

Me: God’s Favorite. God’s favor adorns me.

Translation to Non-Christians:
I was beating myself up so much I had to find some way to separate me and the problem. So I started taking the problem out of me like a chewing gum away from the ground and describe it. Describing it gave it some form and shape. It also allows me to put a finger at it, to box it up, instead of having some harmless fear clouding my head and eyes.

And then when I looked at myself, I saw myself good. That made me feel better. But what empowers that “feeling of good” is when God’s approval comes in. He says I am good. He says so. And not because of whether I finished the work or not. But because … (Christians know the secret *wink* ) What more can I ask for. This is eternal salvation man.

So instead of being in stress, I was In Christ.

In the first semester, I wrote in this blog that I would get flashes of home now and then which would fill me with so much feelings of homesickness. I think I will start recording a description of these ‘flashes’.

The day before, I had a flash of… oh no I forgot.

Just now, walking to the ticket booth for 21 (Jillian’s in love with the male lead), my surroundings shook and melted away. My surroundings returned for a split second, but it’s not AMC, it looked like Cineleisure… Or VivoCity…

One of the movies I wanted to watch in the university theatre. But didn’t get a chance to.

This movie almost made me tear.

Many of the scenes that depict Afghanistan remind me of the Bible. Stoning of the woman adulterer, servant and master relationship for generations, master f**king (‘xcuse my language) the servant’s wife (remember who wanted to f**k Joseph? lol), the stone walls, sex crimes against women and child. (Child prostitution is not written in the Bible, I think it’s is an evolution of our postmodern society) So Old Covenant!

When the main character (Amir) went back to his hometown (Kabul, Afghanistan) and saw the kind of life he might have grew up in, he must have felt like a fish out of the water. But one who had a narrow escape out of the poison waters.

Bottom Line: I’m so glad Jesus came.

Their celebrations is so like Indian. Their worship is to like Malay—-Allah….!

******WARNINNG: SPOILER****** (more…)

The same lecturer, in the same lecture, introduced us to Dave Barry’s pieces as examples of using humor in writing. And I cannot stop laughing…

A visit to his website.

But that’s not the funniest part. (more…)