robhon

Over the last month the Candle site has definitely taken on much more of a... how should I say... Vegas flavoring to it.

One thing leads to another, I guess.

So, then that person who has "guanxi" inside the consulate has a desirable product to sell. Has anyone ever been approached outside the consulate by people offering such services? I'm not interested in hiring out such services. I'm just curious.

Ttlee..... That's exactly what I don't get! How does Don do it? Better yet, why does he want to? I'm still waiting for a post of a picture of Don's wife holding today's newspaper....just in case. At least Mick can say his wife is pregnant. He hasn't forgotten certain "priorities." Maybe Don is actually twins. DonJuan and Don2.

That makes senses!!! So mine was created on March 19 correct! My case was approved by BCIS on March 12. But should be minus 500... The weather service uses this same system for winds aloft. I think it's a pretty common, if not cryptic, system.

Just looked it up. "Connection; relationships."

Sorry, I've seen that term used before but I don't know it's meaning. Guanxi.

I hope, more than anyone, that I'm just being a total freak about the P-3 situation. Hopefully there will be a ton of P-3 notices that show up on Monday and my shrill tone will have been completely unjustified. I look at it this way: If my tone IS justfied, then we have a jump on getting something done. ....Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Bob, I'm finding your posts a little strange in the references to the frustration level with the GZ IV unit. I, personally, was far more patient with the NVC process because I could see that, as it's set up, it's a rather cumbersome security check system involving several agencies. I know China can be particularly difficult because of the few number of family names. All of this was confounded for those on the old system as well, since everything was being processed through GZ. On the new system all the complicated work is done before it gets to GZ. The fact that some cases were delivered by DHL in 3 days and others in 30+ days is ridiculous, and my guess is that has nothing to do with DHL or customs. The fact that GZ can't even acknowledge the arrival of a petition, even though DHL shows it's been delivered, is utterly ludicrous. I think the randomness in the system pre-GZ is mostly due to procedural matters. After cases are leaving NVC it seems to be mismanagement. I believe the current pitch of frustration is over the fact that many of us felt we may have been standing at the P3 door and may now have had that door slammed in our faces until the holiday season has passed. I know I'm making the most noise here on this issue. I've been waiting over two months for my P3 and, if the door has been closed, I may not see it for another 2 to 3 months!! And then it may be another 4 to 8 weeks for an interview!! My worst nightmare is, maybe since I've ended up on the bottom of some stack of papers somewhere at GZ, I might even get passed over next time GZ makes a P3 push!! This is what I guess happened in last year's black hole. This whole thing is eating holes in my stomach, and not because it's taking so long. It's a horrible situation because of how bad the system is.

Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave, Dave... I thought you'd cleared out all the smut before JM's arrival.

Well, er, uh....... Is she still breast feeding? We might need to re-evaluate what keelec is really trying to say here...................... http://www.click-smilie.de/sammlung0903/aetsch/cheeky-smiley-022.gif I'm sworn not to do more titty shots. The closest thing is going to be bare baby bum shots.

Ahhh! I like #1 one the best. I guess I'm a sap too.

This may be way off base but it crossed my mind so I thought I'd run it by people here. Do you think there is any possibility that other people are making inside connections at the consulate and throwing a little cash around to get their cases processed or at least entered into the system? I'm not accusing anyone here. But maybe some of the 001 people who might have better access and understand the way things are done there... I don't know. It would certainly explain the randomness of the processing. It certainly happens everywhere else in China. Why not at the US consulate as well?

1) Frank and Jingwen (P3 sent 11/3) 2) JoeCool (P3 sent 11/3) 3) 215dave (P3 rc'd 11/5) 4) chinese lover (P3 sent 11/5) 5) Bobby (P3 sent 11/6) 6) Bob & Minglian (P3 sent 11/7) 7) JerryL (P3 conf 11/7) 8) kimnjake (P3 sent 11/4) Patrick&Li robhon Francine&gg karen&ivan keelec Stats

I hope no one has misconstrued anything I've said about timelines. I think it's important for all of us to be aware of how long many people here have been waiting. The only thing I've been trying to figure out is GZ. I don't believe they care who any of us are or how long any of us has been waiting, nor do I think they care if we have to wait longer. As far as I can determine (with little or no imperical evidence) each of us is just a stack of paper. One stack of paper is as good as the next. If your stack of paper is closer to their desk, you get processed first. Hense, last-in/first-out. I honestly don't think GZ is literally trying to use a LIFO system. It's worse than that. I still see some Oct P3 Pit Crew folks who haven't received any notice. It's just bloody random!! ...which is the worst system of all! Somehow in this system (or lack thereof) it's been forgotten that there are actual human beings with real lives and real loved ones on this end. Possibly I'm being too harsh. I've got a huge stake in this, with a new baby and all. But then again maybe I'm not being too harsh. I certainly don't envy GZ in their work. But their work and our lives would both be greatly improved if they processed things in a rational manner.

Well, I certainly have no problem telling my boss I'm ill... 'cuz I'm my boss. That sounds like a good lead on someone to talk with inside the embassy. Thanks!

Oh, BTW, I received a reply last night from my weekly email to GZ. Dear Mr. XXXXXXX, Please note that the case is still pending. Once we receive it, we will process it as soon as possible. Guangzhou IV

Yeah, as far as I can tell, they don't worry about when NVC forwarded cases. I'm sure they just have stacks of petitions that arrive to them from DHL. Like, I believe, even though your case got through NVC and was forwarded before mine, mine arrived at GZ before yours. (Go figure. Makes no sense.) But since yours was higher on the stack than mine, yours got processed first. So, I think the NVC forward date that we look at has no bearing on when GZ processes stuff. It's all about when your case arrived at GZ. Hopefully you're right, that maybe they got through more cases and just haven't caught up with notifying people. If that's true then Francine&gg and Youyue&I should be right behind you (as they worked backward through the petitions). But I'm just as concerned about people whose cases arrived before me and whose petitions may not have gotten processed in this push. It's been absolutely fantastic to see so many people's cases more forward this week. But if someone gets left behind, well, I think it's a travesty for all! That was kind of my thinking in putting together a P3 list...

Mark, You're probably okay. It would be a function of when you hit their mailroom. Literally, if your case was delivered the day they decide to begin processing P3's again, you'd be golden! You'd be the last one in and the first one out.

I don't know if people read Francine-gg's post about the possibility that GZ may not continue to push P-3's for the next week because of a, now growing, backlog of interviews. If you've watched the cases as they've been processed it's easy to see that the IV unit is processing the newest cases first. Oct and Nov arrivals at GZ have had their P-3's sent. Aug and Sept cases are still waiting. Whether intentional on their part or not, this constitutes last-in/first-out processing. On a last-in/first-out system you have to complete ALL work (all cases) in order that you don't end up with a certain lot that NEVER gets processed. If GZ stops processing P-3's now, well, we essentially have a new and very real black hole from which we scragglers can not escape (at least through normal processing). WE NEED HELP!!!! Would anyone who's had any contact with influencial people at DOS or GZ please help us figure out how to contact and explain to them what our situation is?

The names were changed to protect the innocent.

Actually, I'm leaving on 11/26 and returning 12/8. The only thing that would change those plans would be an interview date somewhere close to that time. (I can dream, can't I?)

Pack your bags and come on!! Time's a wastin'!!

It's beginning to get a little lonely down here in The Pit.... B) We, the scragglers: Patrick&Li robhon Francine&gg karen&ivan keelec Stats Who knows, maybe when they start processing P4's they'll also pull from the top of the stack.

Yikes! kimnjake are in a out of the P3 Pit in a flash!! 1) Frank and Jingwen (P3 sent 11/3) 2) JoeCool (P3 sent 11/3) 3) 215dave (P3 rc'd 11/5) 4) chinese lover (P3 sent 11/5) 5) Bobby (P3 sent 11/6) 6) Bob & Minglian (P3 sent 11/7) 7) JerryL (P3 conf 11/7) 8) kimnjake (P3 sent 11/4) Patrick&Li robhon Francine&gg karen&ivan keelec Stats