Friday, December 5, 2008

California State I.D.

There are times at some point in life, that we reaches to a point where we have to prove our identity. An identification card would come in handy in cases like this. Creation and maintenance of I.D. cards is just one more thing that the California DMV is responsible for.

People of any age are able to apply for a state I.D. card at the DMV. The card looks similar to a driver's license.

To apply for an ID card you will need to do the following;

*Visit a DMV office (make an appointment for faster service)
*Complete application form DL 44 (An original DL 44 form must be submitted. Copies will not be accepted.)
*Have your picture taken
*Give a thumb print
*Must provide your SSN. It will be verified with the Social Security Administration while you are in the office.
*Verify your birth date and legal presence (you may use your California driver license, Work permit card, Green card or a US passport)
*Pay the $23 application fee. There is no fee for a senior citizen ID card.

Check your address before you leave DMV and tell the DMV representative if your address is incorrect. Your new ID will be mailed to you within 60 days. If you have not received your ID after 60 days, call 1-800-777-0133 to check the status. Have your receipt and/or old ID card with you to provide information when requested.

If the office is not so busy the process will only take at least 30 minutes, we went there today and was granted with the state I.D. card I hope to have it so soon.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival. Traditionally, it is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude in general. It is a holiday celebrated primarily in Canada and the United States. While perhaps religious in origin, Thanksgiving is now primarily identified as a secular holiday.
The date and location of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida, the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.
Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Thanksgiving dinner is held on this day, usually as a gathering of family members and friends.

Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The period from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day is often called the holiday season. For the first time in my life I have witnessed how people celebrates the thanksgiving day here and I was fascinated with people that surrounds me. It was a day where everybody gathers and spend more quality time with each other and eat foods altogether. It may not be so traditional to have Japanese Sushi in the platter but that was how we celebrate the day, as what I call it the Californian lifestyle.