11 July 2007 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

My Career Goal

Just want to fill you in about my job application to the IRS - Internal Revenue Service, United States Department of the Treasury.

JOB MAJOR DUTIES:   IRS Contact Representatives work primarily in our Wage and Investment Business Unit through telephone or face-to-face contact with taxpayers.   Your will:
1. provide information and assistance and take action where needed to resolve their tax issues,
    often involving delinquent situations. Actions needed might include initiating liens or
    installment payment agreements, as well as researching the taxpayer's ability to pay.
2. perform a full range of administrative and technical assistance to individuals and/or business
    primarily through telephone and/or face-to-face contact;
3. address diverse issues/problems that cannot be answered or resolved routinely;
4. apply a wide range of tax processing regulatory requirements and procedures as
    administered by the Internal Revenue Service;
5. elicit sensitive, personal and financial information;
6. make determinations and use sound judgment concerning controversial matters; and
7. develop, analyze and evaluate information involving the research of tax records.

POSITION INFORMATION:
Full-Time Shift , 12:pm to 8:30pm Monday - Friday;  Career/Career Conditional Appointment

QUALIFICATIONS:
1. You must be a citizen of the United States
2. You must have completed a Bachelors or at least 4 years of higher education (120 semester hours, 180 quarter hours or 2880 formal classroom hours) or you may qualify based on a combination of education and qualifying specialized experience in Accounting, Finance, Investment or Taxation.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:
If you are eligible and qualified, you will be assigned to one of three category groups (A, B, or C) based on the information provided in your application in particular your responses to job related questions. Applicants assigned to category group A are considered to be superior, applicants assigned to category group B are considered to be highly qualified, and applicants assigned to category group C are considered to be minimally qualified. Applicants will be referred for selection consideration in these category groups only.

HOW TO APPLY:
There are several parts of the application process that will affect your overall evaluation:
1. Your on-line resume and application which includes questions that:
     - determine basic eligibility;
     - assess required competencies for successful job performance; and
     - provide information for survey purposes.
2. Your responses to the eligibility and assessment questions:
    - Approximately 5 questions determine eligibility.
    - Approximately 52 questions assess competencies.
    - Approximately 3 questions are for survey purposes.
3. Submission of supporting documentations
    - DD-214 if claiming Veterans' Preference; or
    - Standard Form 15, Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference; or
    - Official College Transcripts from Colleges/Universities; or
    - Equivalency Evaluation from an accredited private organization
      of foreign education if applicable.

Here’s the preliminary result of my job application.

From: atlantarecruitment@irs.gov
Date: 2007/07/09 Mon PM 02:34:35 EDT
To: xxxxx@xxxxxx.net
Subject: NOTICE OF RESULTS

United States Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Talent Hiring and Recruitment
2965 Flowers Rd Rm 101
Chamblee, Ga. 30341
HR.Specialist@irs.gov

Dear RC:

Thank you for your interest in employment with the Internal Revenue Service.

This is a Notice of Rating. This is not a job offer.

Your application for the Contact Representative GS-0962-05 position was received and processed in accordance with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidelines. Based on your response to the qualification question(s), you tentatively meet the minimum qualification requirements.

You are rated as follows:
Rating: HIGHLY QUALIFIED (Category B)
Eligible Grades: 05
Veteran's Status: NOT A VET

NOTE: Applicants placed in the HIGHLY QUALIFIED category (Category B) will be considered for the above vacancy after all applicants in the SUPERIOR category (Category A) have been exhausted, and if vacancies still exist.


Sincerely,

Atlanta Employment Section III
External Recruitment
Internal Revenue Service

Then the next day, I received a follow-up notice (see letter below) from IRS. They have me scheduled for a fingerprint session on July 19, 2007. 

From: atlantarecruitment@irs.gov
Date: 2007/07/11 Wed AM 09:47:51 EDT
To: xxxxx@xxxxxx.net
Subject: [34541][2375] Fingerprint Session

United States Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Talent, Hiring and Recruitment
2965 Flowers Rd. Rm 208
Chamblee Ga. 30341
AtlantaRecruitment@irs.gov

Dear RC:

Thank you for your interest in employment with the Internal Revenue Service.

In addition to your application, you will be subject to a FBI name and fingerprint check and income tax verification for the past three filing years.

Selections for employment depend upon several conditions such as the number of vacancies, assessment score, shift availability, work history and any other information relevant to selection for employment.

Your fingerprint results must be received from the FBI and reviewed. Your income tax returns for the past three filing years will be verified to determine that you are in compliance with the tax laws.

A Fingerprint session has been scheduled for you. Candidates are responsible for any travel costs associated with the hiring process. Please report at least 30 minutes before your scheduled time.

Please report to:
Lobby of the Modis Building
One Independent Drive
Jacksonville, Fl. 32202

Date: July 19, 2007
Time: 8:30 AM

Failure to attend a scheduled Fingerprint session will be an indication that you are no longer interested in employment with the IRS and your application will be rated as “ineligible” for failure to report. If you are a current IRS employee please report to your scheduled session to turn in your paperwork.

You MUST bring 2 forms of identification (one MUST be a State or Federal Issued photo ID):
Examples - 1. Valid State Drivers License, valid State ID card2. Social Security Card or Birth Certificate or Passport.

Applicants will be required to go through a Personal Identity Verification process which requires them to provide two forms of identification, one of which must be a valid State or Federal issued photo ID. Since this is a requirement of the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12, applicants who fail to provide the required documents will not be considered for employment

Please download and complete the following forms and bring to the Fingerprint Session. http://www.jobs.irs.gov/opp_sea_austin.html and go to the Fingerprint Session/Typing Assessment area to download the booklet and forms. You may also bring your resume.

Failure to provide any of the information listed above may result in your rating level becoming unreachable for employment consideration.

THIS IS NOT AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT. YOU MUST ATTEND A FINGERPRINT SESSION FOR EACH POSITION YOU APPLY FOR. IF YOU ARE A CURRENT IRS EMPLOYEE YOU MUST ATTEND THE FINGERPRINT SESSION. IF YOU ARE MORE THAN 15 MINUTES LATE FOR YOUR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT YOU WILL NEED TO RESCHEDULE.


Sincerely,
Atlanta Employment Section III
External Recruitment
Internal Revenue Service

Ever since, I have my goal set to work for IRS but now, the more DH and I brainstorm the possibility of me plunging into this new career, you know the enormity and stress of this job and  it's one year probationary career conditional appointment vs. the comfort zone in my current permanent civil service job at the city government  (not much difference in pay & benefits except the 4 months paid vacation in a year),  the more I find myself in limbo!!! 

Well, the IRS has not offered me the job yet. I reckon, if at the end this won't work out for me then it is not meant to be. Bahala na si Batman!

    08 July 2007 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

My 4th of July in NYC

Summer sizzles in Big Apple and so were the fireworks! There were many different launch points (East River, South Street Seaport and the Statue of Liberty), so you can see it from just about anywhere: Manhattan Island, the four surrounding boroughs, Roosevelt Island and New Jersey.

The most popular place to watch the fireworks was on FDR Drive from 14th to 42nd streets in Manhattan. Bro Jim and I stood right in the middle joining horde of locals and tourists overlooking the three barges on the river. But oh boy it was no fun to scoot around especially with the throng like this diffusing their own umbrella at the same time when it drizzled few minutes before the launch fly into a rage.   At last, the rain stopped in time for the fireworks. The blast begins at 9:20 and ended at 9:45 pm. The firecrackers were so spectacular!!!

The ultimate view I heard was from the top of the Empire State building but basically you have to at least shell out $175 at the entrance.  No, thank you very much. I'd rather stand elbow to elbow with the swarming crowd than pay that much money just to watch the fireworks from the tallest building in the city.

There is nothing more I want to do in NYC since I have pretty much toured most of the tourist spots in Manhattan and the surrounding four boroughs during my first visit in the Big Apple in 2004.  Thus, part of this trip was really to meet up with Roselle and her only daughter, Ashley in Queens. So the next day, Bro Jim drove me to Queens which is about 58 miles from Manhattan. There we finally met in person! We hang-out at their cozy condo for few hours then the charming couple showed us around looking for undersized yet very pricey houses in the neighborhood. After which they treated us for a sumptuous lunch to a fancy Italian Restaurant around the area. Lovely Ashley developed a great kinship with me in just a matter of few hours. Imagine after lunch, she dragged me to the game room and would you believe she grabbed my camera and fluently say “I take picture of you! I take picture of you!”    I was so cautious to give her the camera at first thinking she might drop it or something but she won’t let go of the camera so I cave in and this is the close up shot she captured. Not bad for a 3 year old photographer eh? What a pretty sharp girl!

On a much happier note, I only gained a pound in this trip but I detoxified my body the day I came back home by going  to the gym  and  sweating out at the sauna so that took care of it.   It was good to be with a great company of Bro Jim whose so health conscious.  We also did a lot of walking; the first day we stroll around the metropolitan area of Manhattan from 5pm to 7:45pm. The only time we caught the subway or hopped on the bus was when my poor feet can no longer catch up with him.  We went to Elvie's Pinoy Turo-Turo Restaurant in Manhattan for dinner one night and all we ate were “sinigang na isda” (all green leafy vegetable soup with big fish head), pinakbet (sautéed veges with shrimp paste), sweet & sour chicken with "bihon" (rice stick noodles) and steamed white rice. I wanted so bad to gorge on humba (fried pork); lechon kawali (pork roast) and with crispy skin but he talked me out of it. Man, he even tried to put a stop from getting a second serving of rice but I heart him so he relented.   My breakfast was consists of all-bran Kellogg’s cereal with fat free milk, topped with strawberries and blueberries; unsweetened Irish green tea completes the meal. Pretty healthy meal eh?  He sure meant it when he said, "Tell Tony not to worry about you, Rhebs because while you are here in New York, I am and will watch your diet like a hawk!"  I am glad Bro. Jim did it though otherwise I would have packed 6 lbs in three days like my better half did :-( but as he reckons it loud, it felt so good to treat the dire cravings and pretty much knocked them off his system otherwise he probably won’t be able to keep on going with our newly found healthy lifestyle.   I know I can’t… Anyways, what’s living without a treat every now and then right? I guess we still can indulge ourselves with anything—you name it! We just have to make sure to quickly return to our healthy lifestyle right after the binge. We know we can have treats; they just can't be all the time.

The 2.5-hour direct flight from Jacksonville International Airport, Florida to La Guardia, New York was trouble-free but boy the flight back to Jacksonville took me almost 11 freaking hours! Well, I was supposed to catch this 3-hour flight from La Guardia to Miami, Florida; 3.5 hours lay over in Miami and then another 2-hour flight from Miami to Jacksonville but all flights at that time were either cancelled or delayed due to the closing of the ramps and exit gates in Miami airport as the landing field got hit by lightning/rain storms.

Nevertheless, I had such a great time in New York. What a great adventure!!   I am so fortunate to have Bro. Jim as my personal driver/tour guide around NYC ;-) Thanks a bunch, Bro Jim. Hasta la vista :-) 

More NYC photos here.

My next solo destination hopefully before the end of this year or early next year is to visit "Gildavid Manor" in Columbus, Ohio.

 

 

    2 July 2007 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

Travel Rejuvenates Me

Every human being needs a personal passion or two otherwise the day-to-day routine eventually gets so dull and boring. So to break the monotony of my daily routine, I am going on a solo trip again tomorrow ;-)  I will be boarding on the plane to New York  to witness the Big Apple fireworks on the 4th of July. I am also paying a visit to my favorite former boss, Bro. Jim aka Bro. James Adams in Manhattan. He was then the School Director of Notre Dame Cotabato, Inc., Philippines.  I have also arranged an EB with one of my internet friends, Roselle with her daughter, Ashley in Queens.  I was thinking while in NYC, I might as well take the chance to watch 'Les Miz' on Broadway just because one of the casts in the show is Lea Salonga,  a proud Pinay celebrity (she blogs here) but boy the ticket is way too much for my pocket-- I can't afford it! So Never Mind.

But what’s with going to places of interest without taking pictures right? Now, don't ask me why I have fixation with camera as well ;-)    Anyway, last month, I went shopping for MIL's camera.   I have been a big Olympus fanatic so I don't normally waste my time checking out any other brand except that day when I couldn't find a pocket size Olympus camera in 10 Megapixels. So then, I got my hands-on to the lines of Sony digital cameras. When I first spotted this Sony Cyber-shot N2 digital camera, 10.1 Megapixels on display, I played with it; took a couple of snap shots and view them on the computer screen. ~~~WoW~~~ I was floored! This camera takes awesome, crystal clear and stunning pictures!!! Plus the 3-inch touch-screen makes the menu so much easier to navigate than having to press tiny little buttons. *Sold-Done-Deal*

I didn't, however, plan on getting a new camera for myself because my SLR-8 Megapixels Olympus is not even 2 years old yet but my mother-in-law didn’t particularly like the touch-screen feature and style of Sony N2.  She ended up getting this Sony Cyber-shot W90 Digital Camera, 8.1 Megapixels instead which she likes a lot because of simple setup controls besides the fact that this camera also takes stunning pictures although not quite as crystal clear compared to N2.  Sorry, Darling but I can't help it. I want this pocket size camera so bad especially when I don’t feel like lugging around my bulky Olympus E-300 Evolt SLR.   Can I keep this pretty please?    It used to be the conversation went this way every time I get so fascinated with some cool gadgets:

Me:  "Darling, you heard about this cool gadget that does this and that... yada-yada...  ?
DH:   "You handle our finances so can we afford it?" "Do you really need that Love?
Me: "No, I don't need it and no we can't afford it"
DH: "So you just want me to say NO?"
           The deal we made before was, if our budget is tight, I simply want to hear him say NO
           so I can put an end to my never ending fixation otherwise I'll keep tying until I get it.
Me: "Darling, promise this is going to be the LAST thing I will splurge on big ticket item... well, at least this year anyway."

DH just had to nod his head whenever he sees me with a puppy look and much anticipation to get a positive answer.   What can I say? I am a techie girl not the classic fashionable match-d-outfit with accessorized ‘blings’ and make-up type of gal.    Look, I don’t wear or use any other beauty products except lip balm/lipstick, Olay face moisturizer and body lotion. Ok, I indulge myself with a pair of shoes every now and then to treat the obsession but other than that, the only upkeep I sustain is I go to the parlor once in two months to get a hair cut which costs me $20 including tip. I do my nails and other stuff by myself. 

 

    1 July 2007 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

How to be a Couple and Still be Free

The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.  Life is magical only if you know how to live and enjoy life to the fullest and I am that’s why I don't resent nor show antipathy towards any of my friends who have the privilege to become a biological mom with no problem. Of course, I must admit I feel a little envious sometimes especially when the ‘baby paroxysm’ kicks in, let alone I have always had a soft spot for kids that is why I have been so passionate to have children of my own but hey that doesn’t stop me from being friends with couples who have children. I have long conceded to the fact that they are fortunate in that aspect and I am not. That’s life so I deal with it without any antagonism. <sigh>

Nonetheless, I am so lucky to have a devoted, loving and responsible DH that makes me content evermore. Believe me for nearly 8 years of marriage, there has never been an instance where DH & I had an exchange heated blows. Yes, I pissed him off occasionally and yes, I also get so wound up at times which made me reduced to tears but we always have a way of resolving our issues by heart-to-heart talk. No recrimination, no screaming or yelling, no swearing or name calling, no pointing of fingers. Our relationship isn't perfect as we also have few disagreements that leave either one or both of us frustrated - but at the end of the day when the dust settles, we still feel so passionate about each other. That's the big difference. We have the type of relationship that allows us to talk openly with love, respect and a great desire to work things out.

The lack of restriction from my darling husband gives me a sense of sovereignty that despite being married, I still occasionally enjoy all the freedom of a single person. For us, maintaining that separate identities keep alive those parts of us that we fell in love with in the first place. You see, true marriage requires two people having independent lives, not two people living through each other. Being married does not mean you two have to always go and do everything together---if that is the case then you don’t know what you are missing.

By allowing your spouse to find inner satisfaction on his/her own way and he/she will definitely be happier with you :-) If your wife is not allowed to have a life of her own and do whatever that delights her little heart, she will eventually become resentful or bored to death. Likewise if you're over-interested in your husband’s life, wanting to know or be involved in every detail of his life and activities, he will in time feel incensed. So cut him some slack and allow him to do the guy thing occasionally—whatever it is that makes him happy so long as it doesn’t put a strain in your marriage. For sure there's always an extra spark when you get back together. A spouse who values you, who makes the most out of the time you spend together and doesn’t whine about transitory separation is a grown-up.

So guys, have a dream of what you want your life to be and do something in pursuit of that goal. Take some risks and challenge your spouse to do the same even if it causes some momentary discomfort, remember that a healthy marriage isn't all about comfort zones and status quos. If you, for ever and a day, only settle for your own comfort, your relationship is doomed to fail sooner or later. Be the sunshine because if you do, rest assured that your spouse is going to do his/her best to keep you warm as well. For this, I believe Love begets Love.