TP on UNCLOS's Decision: The South China Sea Decision and Perfecto Yasay's Face

Better content than any other news outfit out there. Great read guys, what we should be deliberating on right now.

Click on the link to read the full post.

The South China Sea Decision and Perfecto Yasay's Face

DIY Visa Series - How to Apply for a Schengen Visa (Czech Republic) in Abu Dhabi

Last year my sister and I impulsively tried booking a 3D4N trip to Romania via Holiday Factory to tick off Going to Europe from our bucketlist. However, the plan underwent a lot of revisions due to timeline errors in itinerary planning, last minute air ticket additions and visa mistakes so we ended up going to Budapest (Hungary) and Prague (Czech Republic) instead.

Fisherman's Wharf, Budapest, Hungary

Travel Tip: To my fellow Pinoys, if you would like to enter Romania before these 2 countries, make sure to get a multiple entry Type C Schengen Visa or get a separate Romanian visa entirely if you were given only a single entry Schengen visa to make sure you'll be able to do the cross-country thing without any issues (So alam na kung saan kami nagkamali hehehehe) that will let you end up in transit for more than 24 hrs like this one right here:

For our Schengen visa, we decided to apply via the Embassy of the Czech Republic since Prague was the last and longest stop on our tour.

Steps:

1. Make an appointment online by clicking here: VISAPOINT. Applicants can apply from up to 3 months but no later than 15 days before the planned travel.

2. Complete your requirements. I based this list from the embassy's website and partly from the endless budget traveler blogs I scoured online:

     a. Filled out application form;
   
    b. Valid national passport with at least 2 empty pages and photocopies of passport ID page, Emirates ID, UAE residence visa page and previous Schengen visas from the last 3 years, if any.
   
    c. Salary Certificate and/or Employment Certificate (stamped and signed by your HR dept)
 
    d. Proof of sufficient financial means 
            - You have to request this from your bank personally, as it will be stamped and verified by the bank for the document to be considered valid
            - I read online that many has bank statements of up to 6 digit balances to show that you're capable of financing your tour. Here in the UAE, I only have my payroll account so what I showed on my bank statement is my activity for the last 3 months, along with my salary regularly being deposited. When I applied, I only have like half of my salary (not much actually, it was basically just enough to cover the duration of my stay) on the account and I was approved.
   
    e. Flight ticket reservations (c/o Holiday Factory and Cleartrip)
   
    f. Hotel reservations (c/o Holiday Factory and Booking.com)
   
    g. Detailed travel plan (for a sample itinerary, leave your email address in the comments section below to receive one for free)
   
     h. Cover letter ( I added this to my list of requirements to explain all the changes in our itinerary). Here's a sample of what I submitted:

      i. Travel Insurance certificate (from Union Insurance)
      k. Recent passport sized photograph (photo centers are usually aware of photo specs needed for specific visa requirements. Let them know for what country it's needed prior to having your picture taken.)

                                                              

3. Go to the embassy. As soon as you have prepared everything and it's already your appointment date, just head on over to the embassy at Marina Village, Villa A-09, Breakwater, Abu Dhabi. It's among the villas near Marina Mall and if you're taking a taxi from Al Wahda Mall or Central Bus station, it will only be 20-25AED depending on traffic. Once you're at the embassy, go to the backside for the visa consular services and ring the bell so they can let you in.

Visa fee is strictly 252AED, you should bring the exact amount or else you'll delay the application process. Personal appearance is required for the application since they'll be needing your biometric data. Everything can take up to 15-20 minutes tops and if you're travelling with someone you can submit your docs at the same time using the same appointment but keep in mind that you do have to submit complete requirements for each traveller.

That's it! Good luck and enjoy your trip!

Accomodations : Eid Break in DXB

Since our gang were blessed with a 5 day weekend for Eid Al Fitr, we planned for a staycation to decompress and destress from the rigors of the OFW life. And where best to do that with just a hint of going bankrupt? Dubai, of course!

               

As we booked the place at the last minute and everything got expensive fast, we opted for a hotel apartment so we can cook our own food and of course, an outdoor pool with steam/sauna. My sister and I got on Booking.com (genius perks baby!) to quicky scan and filter everything and we settled on Savoy Central Hotel Apartments.

The air-conditioned apartments feature a modern interior with traditional decorative touches. All apartments have a seating area with satellite TV, a kitchen with an electric oven and an en suite bathroom.

                                      

Starbucks, Al Ghurair Mall

Basically we stayed in the whole time, we only got out twice to grocery shop and to try out the pool/steam/sauna. It was too hot outside for us to explore the creekside so we just basked in the heavenly AC, watched war movies, gorged on the food and had a few friends over to catch up. 

Travel Tip: You can do your grocery shopping at Baquer Mohebi (my personal fave) which is right next door. Make sure to check out their daily promos specially at the frozen section for great savings!! Plus the Savoy has a lot of freebies until September 2016 so do check their fine print for more details.

Many cultural sites are accessible by either walking or bus/metro. Free shuttle rides are provided by the hotel to and from the beach from 10AM-2PM and you can opt to try 1AED ferry rides from Dubai Creek to Deira and vice versa as well.

How to get there:




Metro: Take the Green line to Fahidi Station and the location is a 10-15 min. walk during the winter. The nearest landmark will be Baquer Mohebi supermarket, which is at the hotel's left side. If it's summer, don't even think of walking during the daytime. Just take a taxi, it will be a 5 min ride max for 12AED (min. rate). 

Bus: There are no buses that stop in front of the hotel directly but you can take any bus from Fahidi Station (Green Line)/ Burjuman (Red Line) station along Khalid Bin Al Walid Rd. going to Ghubaiba Station and get off at Raffa 2 bus stop. From there, take the footbridge across and it's a 7 minute walk to the hotel.

How To: Eating Out in AUH Even If You're Broke

Eating out 2 days prior to payday aka Lingo De Peligro doesn't have to break the bank -- you can even do it for free! AMAZEBALLS!

That's what we did tonight at WTC's The Souk 😃 me and JRA decided to do dinnertime at a restaurant called Shakespeare & Co. The ambience has a Phoebe Buffay sort of vibe with its kitschy Victorianesque decor although the heat kind of ruined the mood a little bit. It's already summer over here and if you haven't experienced one yet in UAE, then you're in for a wonderful treat 👌🏽😃

Anyway, let's get back to the question at hand : How in the Seven hells does one have a very fulfilling meal even if you don't have moolah yet? Without going over your monthly alloted budget just to indulge your inner foodie?

All you grasshoppers have to do is download the Beam app, it's available in either Android or App store. It's the number one wallet app that you can sync with your cards and you can earn back rewards  for every transaction you make! Be it discounts on your Carrefour purchases, free coffee at Costa or additional credits to use at any of their partner stores (Vox cinemas, Aldo, Tim Hortons, etc.), you can be a wise consumer and take advantage of it all with Beam!

Over the weekend they had a surprise waiting for their users, you just have to shake your smartphone and you get 100aed in credits! We credited it to Vox and Shakespeare & Co. so it's like free date night ~~ Now that's what I call excellent customer service 😍 especially with Ramadan coming up and all.

So what are you waiting for? Download the app now, you can use the promo code KDJLCPV and get right on getting your rewards! Seeya around! ☕️

To check it out, go to their site by clicking here. You can also check if everything is within the allotted credit by going to your choice of resto's menu details by going on Zomato.

Life in Transit

Just a random shot of my homesick feet at NAIA.

Results: Received

And I passed!!! Wheeeeee even if may free retake, i did it on the first try!! 

Georgia, here I come!! ✈️

Pre-CPC Mock Exam

                           

Going through the most grueling week ever ~~ social life and booklists on hold in the meantime para sa career!

I'm taking the exam in Abu Dhabi on the 21st with 2 friends so wish us luck! If anyone out there is taking the exam on the same date, we're game for spontaneous brainstorming so feel free to drop in :)

Here's a list of what we're using for review:

1. Standard AMA codebooks (ICD 9-CM, CPT, HCPCS 2015) - got our codebook bundles  at 75% off from AAPC (Halloween Promo)

2. Official CPC Study Guide - Originally I planned to review this chapter by chapter but in the end we just did the short quizzes (2 min/question) and used the last one as a pre-mock mock exam ☺

3. We had a company sponsored CPC exam training on Fridays and half-Saturdays at Dubai but the content was more on techniques rather than actual lessons. It's easier if you already have a medical background but if not then you're better off reviewing on your own.

4. Timed practice sessions at Costa Cafe and Java Port Cafe (JVP: their coffee and breakfast choices are wonderful except that you have to pack everything up by noon if you're a nonsmoker).

5. Mock quizzes and exams - Although the training center provided us with a chapter based 150 - item exam after every lesson, we stayed behind after work and did timed exercises and quizzes on our own for 1 week. We tried to factor everything within the set limit including unexpected bathroom breaks and sugar lows so we won't panic and rush everything once we're there.

To anyone who's interested to shift or get into this career, you can learn more about this certification at AAPC.

I'll update you as soon as we pass inshallah, so till then!