NOT A VERY GOOD CHRISTMAS ;)-

Let me start with my job. Shortly after I arrived at the employment office our Director called for a staff meeting. So everybody went to the conference room and was wondering what's going on, though we already have some idea what the meeting would be.

To be brief, he basically was telling us that it's been so slow and we are on hiring freeze, no hiring , no interviews nothing to be licensed. Aside from the special projects that we are working on he would like us to work with other department. To be honest I am a bit scared because currently there is no secured job unless probably you have a government job. I don't mind working with other department because it's to my advantage too and beside this is not the right time to say no.

On the other hand, when I came home today I got 5 offline messages from my sister and one of the messages was " our dog died on Christmas day." We had dogs before way back in the Philippines but I was never attached to them but to these two dogs. Both these dogs are very tame. I was astonished when I visited my family last year because I was gone for 3 years but the dogs still remember me, isn't that amazing?

Anyway couple months ago my mom told me that sweety ( one of the dogs) was sick but mom told me that she will be alright. A month later, mom told me she's recovering and doing very well. On Christmas day she past away.

Let me tell you something about sweety, this dog love Christmas. She was probably trying to live until Christmas and then she rest in peace forever on December 25, 08. My sister told me that she feel bad for Milbyn ( other dog) because these two are inseparable. Milbyn was like her body guard, he follow sweety everywhere she goes ( she doesn't go that far). One time, there were 4 or 5 dogs who are trying to attacked sweety because she sneak out from our house. I and my other sibling saw it and we were scared to go out and get rid of those dogs. Milbyn came and rescued sweety. He will miss her and we will miss her too.

JUST POKE IT HONEY

Who says it's too late to buy Advent calendar chocolates? Not for me. I got my husband a big box of Godiva's advent calendar chocolates today and he love it. It's an assortment of solid white, milk chocolates and dark chocolates. There's 25 small doors in one box and each door has chocolate inside. Those numbers represent December 1 until Christmas day.

My husband was trying to rip the box and I told him to poke those small doors and eat those chocolates. It was really fun.

Godiva really makes very good chocolates. It's one of the finest chocolates in the whole world. They have an on going promotion, when you purchase $50.99 you will get $10.00 gift card, for $100.00 you will get $25.00 gift and for $150.00 you will get $40.00 gift card. I admit their chocolates are really expensive but I tell you it's worth it. So if you're thinking of buying gifts for your friends, relative, god children and co-workers buy them a Godiva, you can never go wrong with chocolates. If you have a friend that is a allergic with nuts, don't worry you can make a box for them with out nuts in it.

So everyone have a happy holiday.

LAYOFF WARNING SIGNS...

What happen to America? The economy here is getting bad, when will this end? Everything goes up but our salary. A lot of houses that are being foreclosed, many of the stores went bankrupt and tons of employees got laid off.

A lot of job seekers are looking for open position/s in where I'm working right now. To be honest, that really scares me. Every time I think of those people who unfortunately lost their job I couldn't avoid but to ask my self how safe is my job? And every time I think about that I say a little prayer to God and thank him for I have this wonderful job.

Please give 2 minutes or so to read this article, I believe this is a big help.

Stay one step ahead of a layoff by heeding these warning signs.

Internal Problems: Things You Control
Sometimes we ignore obvious signs that the other shoe is going to drop,
attributing negative signals to a bad phase that will quickly pass.
Unfortunately, ignoring these signs can threaten your job security.

Watch out if:
You Got a Bad Review or a Warning.
How was your last performance review? Did you get a decent raise? Were you
given any warnings or put on probation for anything? It's a bad sign if nothing
positive was said during your review.

Your Boss Looks over Your Shoulder.
Has your boss recently put you on a short leash, when he used to trust you
to work independently?
Maybe he's been giving you subtle warnings that your work is not up to snuff
even though you think otherwise, and he finally got tired of you missing his signals.

You Get the Cold Shoulder.
Do colleagues you used to eat lunch or talk with avoid you lately? Do they skirt discussions about future projects? Are you being left out of meetings you used to be part of? Think there's a reason?

External Problems: Management Changes Beyond Your Control
Keeping an eye on the company, its health and the ripple effects of
high-level decisions can clue you into the true status of your job security.
Be wary if:

You Get a New Boss.
For five years, you worked in harmony with your boss, who was suddenly replaced by a rattlesnake. This is no time to be complacent; prep for a job search before
you have to. Line up a reference from HR since the new boss probably won't give you a good one.
Management Makes Changes at the Top.
The company's leader and figurehead suddenly disappears, and the entire mood of
the company shifts. Long-time employees are heard grumbling and complaining
about the new direction. This can actually help you. Ask yourself: How do I
handle change? If you're averse to making a big move, you'll probably hate the new procedures that go along with the transition to a new leader. On the other hand, how will you handle the changes associated with getting a new
job? Will you find those challenges any easier? Weigh the consequences of both scenarios.

There Are Rumors of Restructuring or Layoffs.
Sometimes rumors carry a grain of truth. If there is talk about restructuring the
office, be prepared. If you don't do a full-out job search, at least dust
off your resume so if you're cut, you'll have that chore out of the way.

New Hires Don't Fit the Mold.
Sometimes a new colleague is hired who can
do no wrong with all of the managers but treats you and other employees like
dirt. If you've complained and documented your gripes but management doesn't
confront the bad apple, you must assess what this person Is doing to your
outlook on work. Sometimes morale can get so low that there's no choice but to
leave. Overall, it's important to know the difference
between something that truly threatens your job security and something that may
actually turn out to be a bad week or month.

If you're one of those people who got laid off please don't lose your hope and don't quit! Only losers know how to quit, you're not a quitter aren't you?

ALERT! BANK ACCOUNT UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS

I know this issue has been going on and on but it doesn't hurt to remind others about these people who knows nothing but to scam. I got this e-mail from "Bank Of America" Online-Services@Online-Update.com. Below was the content of the e-mail.

Dear customers,
During our usual security enhancement
protocol, we observed multiple login attempt error while login in to your online
banking account. We have believed that someone other than you is trying to
access your account for security reasons, we have temporarily suspend your
account and your access to online banking and will be restricted if you fail to
update. http://*****/bbs/++++/member******* (I don't want to give the full link ) Bank of America is proud to announce about their new updated
secure system We updated our new SSL servers to give our customers a better,
fast and secure online banking service.

If you have any questions, please call Electronic Banking Services:
For
accounts in California, please call 1-800-792-0808
For accounts in
Washington or Idaho, please call 1-866-399-0122
For accounts in all other
states, please call 1-800-933-6262
For Small Business customers, please call
1-866-758-5972

Bank of America, Member FDIC. © 2008 Bank of America Corporation. All
Rights Reserved

I couldn't attached the BOA logo properly but when you receive the actual e-mail the logo was duplicated very well. I am aware of the fact that, never click links if you receive an e-mail like this because it might be virus or it could be other things.

I got nervous when I read this e-mail, imagine if somebody can get hold of my bank account O boy I'll be in deep trouble I mean big trouble. I could lose the money that I have been saving since I started working. But on the other hand I am so reluctant to click the link so what I did was I chatted with a representative of BOA and told him my concern and this was our conversation:

I understand your concerns regarding the suspicious e-mail
you received. I will definitely assist you with this.
Raymond: Bank of America does send e-mails to notify you of account activity.
Raymond: However, we will never ask for any personal or sign in information. Any e-mail asking for this type of information would be considered fraudulent.
Raymond: Therefore, I recommend you to please forward the e-mail you received to
abuse@bankofamerica.com. This will allow us to research the origin of the
e-mail. Last text message received Raymond: If the e-mail is not legitimate; we
will work with the authorities to prosecute the creators of this e-mail and let
you accordingly.

Thanks God I didn't click the link!

I found these sites where you can actually report e-mail scams:

• Credit Card Fraud Causes Angst for Romanian Gamers
• Fraudulent Link Scams
• Top Online Email and Internet Scams
• eBay Phishes: a Red-Herring for eBay Hijackings?
• Killer Spam : Hitman Email Threatens Recipients
• Hitman Email Threatens to Kill Recipients
• Lottery Scam Meets AOL/Microsoft Hoax
• How to Report a Phishing Scam
• How to Ferret Out a Phish
• How to Stop Phishing Scams
• Chase Online $20 Reward Survey
• Amazon Phishing Scam
• IRS Tax Refund Phishing Scam
• MMORPG Trojans Abound
• Nigerian 419 Advanced Fee Fraud
• Digital Age Credit Card Fraud
• Hurricane Katrina and Rita Fraud
• Phishing scams
• How to spot a phish
• Spammer vs. Microsoft
• Virus writers/hoaxsters exploit Tsunami
• Scam emails deliver Trojaned goods
• Volksbank phishing email
• Email banking scams
• Lottery winner scams
• Email credit card scams
• eBay update scam resurfaces
• Link flaw a serious exploit for scammers
• FDIC emails scams by fear
• Citibank victim of flaw
• Webber Trojan Targets Wells Fargo, Citibank Customers
• 'Slave Reparations' Scams Target Black Seniors
• Best Buy 'Fraud Alert' Email Scam

These scammers are very smart so let's outwit them!

DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL

The last processing action taken on your case Receipt Number:
EAC**********
Application Type: CRI89 , PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS OF PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS RECEIVED
Current Status: Approval notice sent.On November 28, 2008, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this CRI89 PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS OF PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS RECEIVED. Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service.

After waiting for more than a year I finally received my green card today 12/02/08 YEHEY!
I'm planning to apply for a naturalization next year and of course I have to expect a slow process.

To all who have an on going case with USCIS just hang in there.