Finally...

"Your application to remove your conditional status has been GRANTED."

That's what the letter from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said. I got it a couple of weeks ago after we got back from our vacation. I was quite surprised because I was still supposed to undergo one last interview. I even got a letter in July last year saying that they would soon be notifying me of my interview schedule. I am guessing that they took so long in processing my petition that they just probably decided to skip the interview and grant it. It took two years!

I know someone who applied to remove conditional status six months after me, got interviewed and granted permanent residency about six months later. He's from Scotland and I am from the Philippines. Hubby and I think that was probably a big factor, with the southern tip of the Philippines being a breeding ground for terrorists and all. I guess they can't be too careful. What do you think? :)

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I saw this news piece in the Today show about a mother calling 911 because her two daughters, a 12-year-old and a 14-year-old, were fighting. She didn't want to step in because one of her daughters is supposedly bigger and stronger than her. The operator said, "And what do you want us to do, go over there and shoot her?" I was outraged. Not necessarily at the operator, although what he said was really unprofessional, but that the woman would use the emergency line because she had no control over her own kids. Police resources should be used for more urgent matters, not to settle family squabbles. It just reinforced my belief that when people are expecting a child, they should be made to undergo a seminar on child-rearing. I just see so many parents whose only qualification on being one is the ability to procreate, because you see how out-of-control their kids are. On the other hand, the government has also made it impossible for parents to enforce discipline on their kids because of their fear of being accused of child abuse. Therefore, you really can't blame the parents completely either. So who to call when your kids are out of control? The government -- 911.