Next thing I know it’s been two weeks since I last wrote.
Well as you know, the US Open is under way, heaps of amazing matches have been won and lost. Not that I’ve seen more than the highlights just before I go to sleep at night. I’ve been so busy!
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Oh I have to gush about the service of the passport direct people. I applied for passport renewal earlier this month and I did so using their online submit form. Later in the week, their delivery guy came over to collect my documents (expiring passport + photocopies of IDs + 3 passport size photos) and the renewal + processing fee of P1,300. Normal passport renewal (=6 hours of hell on earth) costs only P750.
Boy am I glad I availed of their service!
So the guy took my thumbmarks and handed me a receipt and told me to present that when I make my DFA appearance the following week. It took me about 2 hours commute from my ghetto neighborhood to the DFA. Not entirely pleasant (MRTing at 8:30 AM = can of spoiling sardines) but bearable. Looking at the traffic along the way, I was still happy about my decision not to bring a car. Had I done so, I would probably have died in a road rage altercation somewhere in Pasay. Phew, that was a close one!
So ANYWAY, I head over to the DFA and heaps of men were milling about waving their official-looking IDs to anyone who slowed down upon approaching the gate. They’re really pushy, one guy kept talking at me and when I tried to walk past him, he blocked my path and said pointedly that he was talking to me…basically I was being rude to him. I had actually spoken to him but in an under my breath sort of way, I said I had an appointment. But I guess he was hard of hearing so I spoke up and said I was there for an appearance appointment. So I pushed past him and a more official-looking man waved me through. I got to Gate 3 and I showed the guard there my receipt and he told me to wait. So I did…for about 5 seconds. Some guy came out and motioned for me to follow him and he led me to a waiting area with a couple of benches, and about half a dozen people were seated there. He sat me down and told me to wait. About 20 seconds later, some lady comes over to explain the process to me and handed me a customer satisfaction form — to fill out after I was done. So I cheerfully took it and said thank you. She left and I settled down to wait. I was reaching into my bag for the book I brought when some guy with a clipboard called my name.
4 minutes of waiting!
He led me to a window and had me verify my information on the form. And then I had to thumbmark again and then he sent me back to the waiting area. There, I happily filled out the customer satisfaction form and dropped it in the box.
The whole thing took about 10 minutes!
My new passport gets delivered to me next Tuesday! Yay and I don’t look like a shabu addict on this one! Woohoo!
Ponderfool 